Wheaton Municipal Band welcomes acclaimed conductor Elizabeth Peterson

For the third concert of the 2025 summer concert series, the Wheaton Municipal Band welcomes Elizabeth Peterson to the podium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, in Memorial Park in downtown Wheaton.

Former professor at Ithaca College and professor emeritus and the associate director of bands at the University of Illinois, Peterson brings a wealth of experience to the stage. Several band members worked under Peterson and consider her a mentor.

The challenges facing any visiting conductor are many. There is a brief “getting to know you” period where the band understands the mission and the conductor gets to know what the band is capable of. The conductor must figure out the lay of the land, where the instruments are located in the band, where the principal players sit, and who is playing what part.

In the Wheaton Municipal Band world, there are only 2½ hours on Wednesday to rehearse all the music for the concert on Thursday night. That is not a lot of time. Many of the musicians are sight reading the music, so it is difficult.

Yet the musicians of the Wheaton Municipal Band are pros, and they perform expertly each week mastering difficult repertoire and entertaining an enthusiastic audience. That is what makes it so much fun and so challenging, both to the musicians and the guest conductor.

Often a guest conductor introduces new music, and this is the case at the June 26 concert.

Peterson will be introducing Wheaton to “Colorado Peaks” by Dana Wilson. This 2005 work depicts the beauty and ruggedness of the Colorado Rockies in a musical tone poem filled with drama. Another musical description will be heard in “Cape Breton Postcard,” by Catherine McMichael. Cape Breton, outside of Nova Scotia, is a rugged picturesque setting with many landscape challenges. The 2006 work opens with haunting music depicting the mist. The Scottish feel represents the edgy courage, pathos, and soul of the Gaelic culture.

Other works on the program include selections from “Wicked,” “Italian Rhapsody” by Julie Giroux (who appeared on the podium last year with the WMB), Omar Thompson’s “Caribana Afterparty,” and, of course, marches.

Come early to reserve your spot. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Memorial Park band shell, 225 Karlskoga Ave. in downtown Wheaton. Bring a lawn chair or sit in the stadium seats up front.

The next concert, “Red, White and KaBOOM,” featuring patriotic audience favorites, will be held a day early, on Wednesday, July 2, in Memorial Park.

For more information, go to the band’s webpage at wheatonmunicipalband.org. Follow facebook.com/WheatonMunicipalBand/ or instagram.com/wheaton_municipal_band/.