Wheaton Municipal Band plans auditions

The Wheaton Municipal Band will hold auditions for its 2017 season Sundays, May 21 and 28.

Woodwinds and brass may audition from 1-4 p.m. May 21, and auditions for all instruments will be from 1-6 p.m. May 28 in Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St.

More information and time requests can be found on the band's website at www.wheatonmunicipalband.org.

The audition process requires sight-reading and playing a short prepared piece. Competition is fierce as the band strives to present a top-notch professional sound.

Some of the band's alumni include performers in the Chicago Symphony and the "President's Own Marine Band."

This year's band members will be eligible to perform in December at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Convention at McCormick Place in Chicago. This 71-year-old international event attracts roughly 17,000 musicians from around the world and across the United States.

The Wheaton Municipal Band last performed at the conference in 2012, and there was a five-year waiting period to reapply.

"This honor for the band is second to none, simply put," band manager Steve Klaus said. "To be distinguished as one of the finest bands in the world not only once, but twice, in the shortest possible eligibility time frame, is astounding. Very few other musical organizations can boast of this honor."