advertisement

Jump start patriotic celebrations with Wheaton Municipal Band

The Wheaton Municipal Band Concert will celebrate Americana music at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 28, in Memorial Park in downtown Wheaton.

One of the most popular concerts of the season, this program jam-packs patriotic favorites into an evening event.

Starting at 6 p.m., the WMB "Dixie Cups," Dixieland Jazz combo, performs upbeat "Dixie" classics. Enjoy "Basin Street Blues," "Sugarfoot Stomp," "High Society," and "Muskrat Ramble," to name a few.

There is nothing like the sound of the high-pitched clarinet, or the beat stomping tuba to make the evening come alive. Select members of the Wheaton Municipal Band will perform.

The full band concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with rousing marches and soulful works which salute those who serve the country. Celebrating Independence Day means fireworks, John Philip Sousa marches, parades and concert band music.

All across the country, concert bands perform to honor the USA's Independence Day and of course, the servicemen and women.

Also on the program: "Star Spangled Spectacular," which is the music of George M. Cohen, "America the Beautiful," and "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The Wheaton Municipal Band holds the distinctions as one of the finest community concert bands in the country. The sounds of trumpet fanfares, base drums and piccolos set off this patriotic celebration.

The Patriotic Concert centers around the premiere of Onsby Rose's work "Heroes." The United States Air Force Band, along with the Wheaton Municipal Band and numerous community, school and college bands nationwide, commissioned the composer to write a work celebrating the Marines, Air Force, the NASA Space program and the Army and Air National Guard. He will be attending the concert.

"'Heroes' began as a short two-minute fanfare that evolved into a 22-minute symphony for band," Rose said. "The work was inspired by my 11 years as a United States Marine and all of the service members that I served alongside."

Rose continues, "The Wheaton Municipal Band's premiere performance is a huge deal to me. This is not only my first symphony, but also still one of my first works for band. I have written a couple other works since, but nothing that is as significant as this. To have the work premiered by such a capable and respected ensemble is truly an honor to me."

Don't miss this energizing concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday June 28, with the Dixie Cups Dixieland performance at 6 p.m. in Memorial Park, 208 W. Union Ave. in downtown Wheaton. Come early and bring a lawn chair and a picnic and celebrate American Independence. For information, go to www.wheatonmunicipalband.org.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.