Middle school band students join Wheaton Municipal Band season-opener June 8
On Thursday, June 8, the Wheaton Municipal Band celebrates the grand opening of the summer season with a program "Fit for a King."
Music director Bruce Moss gives the downbeat and the band lifts their horns to William Walton's "Coronation March, Crown Imperial" at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Park, 225 Karlskoga Ave. in downtown Wheaton. Bring a lawn chair or sit up front in the stadium seats.
In addition, this concert features the magnificent folk melodies of Ralph Vaughan Williams and allow the band's musical soul to float over Memorial Park. Music from Andrew Lloyd Webber and marches round out the program.
The featured soloist on the program is Garth Anderson on trumpet playing "The Debutante" by Herbert Clark. Anderson celebrates his 15th season in the Wheaton Municipal Band, and 12th season as the band's personnel manager.
He currently teaches beginning band and general music in Prospect Heights Elementary District 23. Anderson has also taught in Sycamore.
At the concert, the band will welcome select students from Wheaton middle schools. Having the middle school students sit in on a few pieces was a prepandemic tradition.
This is the first concert since then that the students will join the Wheaton Municipal Band professionals, side by side, and perform. The students have been practicing with their band directors for weeks. Thank you to Jill Carr from Edison Middle School, Jeffrey Novak from Monroe Middle School, Kurt Makaryk from Franklin Middle School, and Blake Jancius from Hubble Middle School.
2023 not only marks the band's 94th season, but it also includes additional concerts and accolades.
On June 30, the Wheaton Municipal Band travels to Champaign-Urbana to perform at the Krannert Concert Hall at the University of Illinois. The invitation comes from the Midwest Convention of the American School of Band Directors Association and the Illinois Summer Youth Music Camps.
In addition, the Wheaton Municipal Band once again has been invited to perform in December at McCormick Place for the 2023 Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference.
This prestigious invitation is unprecedented in that this is the Wheaton Municipal Band's third performance at the convention. The band went through a rigorous audition process. Musicians from around the world attend. Moss is busy finalizing the details of music selection and performance details for the entire summer season and the additional concerts.
For more information, visit the band's website at wheatonmunicipalband.org.