Naperville Municipal Band to perform spring concert April 19

Before the Naperville Municipal Band takes its show on the road this summer, it's giving local audiences an early look at the concert it will perform for a bandmasters' convention.

The band's spring concert, "On to San Antonio," begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Admission is free.

Because it is one of the premier community bands in the nation, the Naperville Municipal Band has been invited to attend the Texas Bandmasters Association's annual convention and clinic July 23 to 26 in San Antonio, Texas. Eighty-five of the 90 band members will attend the convention.

The spring concert will preview the music the band will play at the convention. The band's guest conductor is James F. Keene, professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Keene will conduct "Scenes from the Louvre" by Norman Dello Joio. He also will conduct this composition with the band in San Antonio.

"We want to play a concert that is a crowd-pleaser, just like the ones we perform each summer in Central Park," said Ron Keller, director of the Naperville Municipal Band. "That's the secret to our success - we play something for everyone. It's an eclectic mix of music that appeals to the diverse segments of the audience."

Musical selections include "Robinson's Grand Entrée" by Karl King; "The Riverwalk," a song commissioned in 1989 about Naperville's crown jewel that will be accompanied with a video produced by Veronica Porter of Porter Presentations; and selections from "The Sound of Music," celebrating its 50th anniversary.

NMB clarinetist Marty Rench will be featured on a medley of tunes made famous by Benny Goodman, the "King of Swing."

In addition, members of American Legion Post 43 and Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 will present a flag for North Central College's Wentz Hall.

For information, visit napervilleband.org or call (630) 778-9994.