The Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will begin its 158th season on Thursday, June 4, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. The MCMB is sponsored by the City of Michigan City.

The MCMB’s 158th season will consist of ten free concerts, beginning June 4, and ending August 6. The band plays a wide variety of music, with concerts designed to entertain audience members of all ages. The concerts last about an hour. The MCMB also plays for the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery, and in the Michigan City Summer Festival Parade.

The MCMB is pleased to announce that our newly-appointed assistant conductor is Frank Gast. Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School, and also plays trumpet in the MCMB. Quincy Ford served as the MCMB assistant conductor from 2014-2025. Mr. Ford will continue conducting the MCMB in the annual Summer Festival Parade, and he will maintain his position as the MCMB’s principal saxophone.

Highlights of the MCMB summer concert series include special guest soloists and two commissions by acclaimed composers. Guest artists will be MSG. Hiram Diaz, euphonium, and MSG. Brandon Eubank, trumpet, from the US Marine Band (July 23); Michelle Howisen, soprano (July 9); Anne Marie Bice, soprano (June 11, August 6), JD Flynn, baritone saxophone (June 4). The June 18 concert will celebrate Juneteenth, and the July 2 concert will have a special focus on the USA Semiquincentennial. Other soloists and special events will be announced during the season.

The MCMB will present the premieres of two commissions:

Portraits of Joy by Edna Alejandra Longoria (June 4 and again on July 23)

Variations on La Comparsa for euphonium and band by Dennis Llinas (July 23)

Edna Alejandra Longoria is a versatile composer from Texas. Portraits of Joy was “inspired by the spirit of Michigan City and her soon-to-be-born daughter Elisa.” Mrs. Longoria imagined walking through Washington Park at various times of the year, watching children play, experiencing the Festival of Lights, admiring the beauty of sunrise over the lake, and hearing the historic Michigan City Municipal Band.

Dennis Llinas is a Cuban/Colombian composer and conductor who is serving as director of bands at the University of Oregon. He’s appeared professionally around the world, including last January in Fort Wayne, where he conducted the Indiana Music Education Association Honor Band. Dr. Llinas grew up hearing and performing the music of the great Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. Like MSG. Diaz, Dr. Llinas has Cuban heritage. When commissioned by the MCMB to compose a solo for euphonium and band in the form of “theme and variations”, Dr. Llinas immediately knew he would use Ernesto Lecuona’s famous La Comparsa. The title refers to musicians who appear in Latin American community festivals.

In addition to being outstanding performers, many of the MCMB members are successful conductors. Two of those conductors will be featured on individual compositions throughout the summer: Caitlyn Coller (July 30) and Dakota Maze (August 6). The band will also recognize one of its just-retired members—Mary Lee Riley—who played clarinet in the band for 63 years (June 11).

The June 4 concert repertoire will be:

Fanfare Indiana by Guy Foreman
The Star-Spangled Banner arranged by John Philip Sousa and Walter Damrosch
Portraits of Joy by Edna Alejandra Longoria (premiere)
The Fourth of July by John Cacavas
A Song of Peace by Christina Huss
Mah Na Mah Na by Piero Umiliani
JD Flynn, baritone saxophone soloist
Mariachi Suite by Jorge Vargas
The Invincible Eagle March by John Philip Sousa
Jasmine Flower Chinese traditional, arr. Michael Boo
Clarinet section feature
On a Wonderful Day Like Today by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly
God Bless America by Irving Berlin

The 158th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band is all about joy. We’ll open with the premiere of Edna Alejandra Longoria’s Portraits of Joy (described above). A medley of joyful patriotic songs, The Fourth of July, will help us start our celebration of USA 250. A Song of Peace is a gentle work that encourages us to reflect on our goal of world peace.

You’ll certainly recognize the catchy melody of Mah Na Mah Na, and you’ll be thrilled with its setting for baritone saxophone and band, with the MCMB’s own JD Flynn.

Mexican-American composer Jorge Vargas helps us experience three Mariachi styles in his Mariachi Suite.

One of John Philip Sousa’s famous patriotic marches, The Invincible Eagle, continues the start of our USA 250 celebration.

The late Chesterton composer, Michael Boo, arranged the traditional Chinese Jasmine Flower for Windiana Concert Band to perform with a zither ensemble in China. We’ll use the same setting to feature the MCMB clarinet section.

More joy radiates from the classic Broadway song On a Wonderful Day Like Today by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly.

Finally, the MCMB will continue its tradition of opening and closing each concert with a patriotic audience sing-along. After the opening fanfare, the audience will be invited to sing The Star-Spangled Banner. The closing selection will be Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, allowing everyone to enthusiastically honor our great nation.

All of the concerts are free, and everyone is welcome. School band members and young children are especially encouraged to attend. Parking on Lake Shore Drive is prohibited. Parking is available in the lots closest to the amphitheater, as well as the Senior Center. Entrance to the park is free with a Michigan City Park sticker; otherwise, there is a reduced parking fee for the band concert.

Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor of the MCMB, and Frank Gast is the assistant conductor. In 2018, Dr. Doebler was named a Distinguished Hoosier by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. Dr. Doebler serves as director of music education and bands at Valparaiso University. He is a past president of the Indiana Bandmasters Association and the Indiana Music Education Association. Mr. Gast serves as director of bands at Michigan City High School.

The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.

The ninth concert of the 157th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, July 31, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park. In case of inclement weather, the concert will take place in the Michigan City High School Auditorium, 8466 W. Pahs Road.

The concert will feature the fifth Michigan City performance of the MCMB with world-class euphonium soloist GySgt. Hiram Diaz, from the US Marine Band, “The President’s Own.” GySgt. Diaz and the MCMB will present the premiere of Rhapsody for Euphonium by Kevin Day. Dr. Day is one of the most exciting and sought-after composers of this decade. He earned degrees from Texas Christian University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Miami. Dr. Day is a jazz pianist, conductor, and composer, currently based in Las Vegas. Rhapsody for Euphonium is Dr. Day’s second major solo composition for euphonium and band. His 2018 Concerto for Euphonium has been performed by some of the world’s leading euphonium artists, including GySgt. Diaz. The Rhapsody for Euphonium is equally impressive, but is more accessible for advanced high school and college musicians, so his music can be experienced by even more players.

Kevin Day’s Rhapsody for Euphonium showcases the world-class musicianship of euphoniumist GySgt. Hiram Diaz. GySgt. Diaz grew up in Miami. He graduated from Miami’s New World School of the Arts, then earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He joined the US Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” in 2012. He is co-leader of the Marine Band’s Latin Jazz Ensemble.

The MCMB will also perform Dr. Day’s composition Summit, which was the 33rd commission of the Indiana Bandmasters Association. Summit was premiered by many Indiana bands in 2020. Dr. Day describes Summit as “a group…working together as a team to forge its way up the face of a mountain, dealing with steep cliffs and chilling winds, eventually working…to the very top.” In this music, you’ll hear several versions of rhythms that set up mathematically as three against two.

The July 31 concert repertoire will be:

The Pride of Pittsburgh March by John Philip Sousa

Rhapsody for Euphonium by Kevin Day (premiere)

GySgt. Hiram Diaz, euphonium

Summit by Kevin Day

Chorale Elegant by Elena Lucas

Take on Me by Pal Waktaar, et al

Hello Dolly by Jerry Herman

The Chimes of Liberty March by Edwin Franko Goldman

My America arr. Joyce Eilers

The Pride of Pittsburgh (1901) is in Mr. Sousa’s “grand march” style, which is slower and more majestic than a standard march. The composition was created for the dedication of Music Hall at the Western Pennsylvania Exhibition, and its name was chosen through a contest sponsored by the newspapers in Pittsburgh. The Pride of Pittsburgh contains melodies by two Pittsburgh composers: Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming by Stephen Foster and Narcissus by Ethelbert Nevin.

Since the Sousa Band’s 1914 tour included concerts in Michigan City, LaPorte, and Valparaiso, and since The Pride of Pittsburgh was included on the 1914 Sousa Band tour programs, it is likely that this march was performed that year by the Sousa Band in all three cities.

Composer Elena Lucas teaches composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Her music has been played by important ensembles all around the world, including the Dallas Brass and the Boston Symphony. Chorale Elegant is a lovely and lyrical selection. It’s what I refer to as a “sound piece” because it gives us the chance to demonstrate the beautiful blended tones of the concert band.

Take on Me is the classic 1984 pop tune by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. It accompanied a ground-breaking music video.

All of the Michigan City Municipal Band concerts are free, and everyone is welcome. School band members and young children are especially encouraged to attend. Parking on Lake Shore Drive is prohibited. Parking is available in the lots closest to the amphitheater, as well as the Senior Center. Entrance to the park is free with a Michigan City Park sticker; otherwise, there is a parking fee of $4 for the band concert. (The $4 fee applies after 7:00p.)

Jeffrey Scott Doebler is the conductor for the MCMB, and Quincy Ford is the assistant conductor. Dr. Doebler serves as director of music education and bands at Valparaiso University. Mr. Ford, principal saxophone in the MCMB, is retired director of bands and music department chair from Michigan City High School.

The band’s announcer is Rick Carlson.

The eighth concert of the 157th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, July 24, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest artists will be soprano soloist Anne Marie Bice, and piccolo trumpeters Charles Steck and Ryan Rabe. Guest conductor for two selections will be Paul Wagner. The band will premiere a commission by Michele Fernandez.

The July 24 concert repertoire will be:

Pride of the Mid-West March by Austyn Edwards
Concerto in Bb for Two Trumpets by Antonio Vivaldi
Charles Steck and Ryan Rabe, trumpet
Be Still My Soul by Jean Sibelius – Paul Wagner, conductor
A Century of Progress March by John Philip Sousa – Paul Wagner, conductor
Cinderella Overture by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein – Anne Marie Bice, soprano
Moon River by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer – Anne Marie Bice, soprano
Folk Songs of Britain by Guy Foreman
Yearning to Breathe Free by Michele Fernandez (premiere)
God Bless America by Irving Berlin

Michele Fernandez has become one of the band world’s most popular composers. She lives in Miami, and is a retired music educator. Among her areas of expertise is writing authentic Latin and Afro-Latin rhythms. The Michigan City Municipal Band commissioned Mrs. Fernandez to compose Yearning to Breathe Free. The work honors The Statue of Liberty and has sections titled “Longing”, “Dignity”, and “Mercy.” The composition contains exciting Latin rhythms, some with origins in Cuba.Continue reading→

The ninth concert of the 151st season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will take place Thursday, August 1, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.

Guest soloist on the August 1 concert will be Anne Bice, voice professor from Valparaiso University. Ms. Bice has extensive performance experience and sings in a wide variety of styles. Prof. Bice will sing music from Les Miserables and from Led Zeppelin.

The Michigan City Municipal Band August 1 concert repertoire will be:Continue reading→