Wheaton Municipal Band welcomes the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet July 13

On Thursday, July 13, the Wheaton Municipal Band welcomes to the stage not only the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet, but also two guest conductors who stand alongside Music Director Bruce Moss: From Iowa, Mark Heidel and Myron Welch.

The audience knows the Wheaton Municipal Band's reputation as one of the finest concert bands in the country. Renowned guest conductors often step up to the podium.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Park, 225 Karlskoga Ave. in downtown Wheaton.

For this week's concert, the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet joins in to create the highest caliber of music.

Moss taught John Hagstrom, a Chicago Symphony trumpet player, when both were at York High School in Elmhurst. They have stayed connected ever since. This close bond has frequently brought Hagstrom to the stage over the years.

It is always a treat to have such a fine musician grace the Memorial Park band shell.

This year, Hagstrom brings along a few of his symphony cronies for a rare treat. Esteban Batalian on trumpet, Gene Pokorny on tuba, David Griffin on French horn, and Michael Mulcahy on trombone join Hagstrom to round out the quintet.

The Chicago Symphony brass section has a reputation for flawless excellence and a signature brilliant sound. That is matched by their virtuosic technique that wows the audience. This is a rare opportunity to hear the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet in the western suburbs.

This week's two guest conductors bring music from the Heartland. Mark Heidel is director of bands and professor of music at the University of Iowa. He conducts the Iowa Symphony Band, teaches graduate courses in conducting, and oversees the University of Iowa band program.

Myron Welch, emeritus professor and former director of bands at the University of Iowa, coordinated the graduate program in band conducting, and taught courses in instrumental methods, conducting and band literature. Both men travel across the country and around the world to conduct and educate.

This week's program offers a blend of music that conjures up images of the beauty of the Midwest.

Music by 20th-century American composer John Barnes Chance's "Blue Lake Overture" and American composer Mark Camphouse's "Heartland Sketches." And nothing says Americana like "Prairie Songs" by Carl Strommen and "Highlights from The Music Man" by Meredith Willson arranged by Drew Bonner.

Of course, marches round out the program with favorites from John Philip Sousa and Karl L. King.

Come early, bring a chair and a picnic, and enjoy the idyllic setting. For information, visit www.wheatonmunicipalband.org or facebook.com/WheatonMunicipalBand/.