Mount Prospect Community Band begins 50th anniversary season March 14
On Saturday, March 14, the Mount Prospect Community Band, under the direction of Music Director Monty Adams, begins the celebration of its 50th anniversary season with the opening concert, “Spring Awakening.”
It is fitting that the first Golden Jubilee concert by the Mount Prospect Community Band opens with John Philip Sousa’s “Golden Jubilee March,” which he composed in 1928 for the Sousa Band’s Golden Jubilee tour celebrating his 50th year as a professional conductor.
It will be followed by the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony #6 In F Major, known as the “Pastoral Symphony,” a celebrated work that reflects his love for nature and the beginning of spring. Composed in 1808, it premiered in Vienna on Dec. 22 of that year. This symphony is unique as it is the only one Beethoven named himself, emphasizing its connection to nature and personal feelings. His subtitle, “Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country,” was the inspiration for the theme and title of this concert. This arrangement for concert band is by Randy A. Steinberg, a former member of the Mount Prospect Community Band.
The concert continues with Hungarian Dance #6 by Johannes Brahms, part of his set of 21 Hungarian Dances which were completed in the 1860s. This dance is particularly popular and showcases Brahms’ ability to blend classical forms with folk elements. It was first published in 1869 and is a staple in orchestral and concert band repertoire.
The highlight of this concert is “Appalachian Spring,” an American ballet created by choreographer Martha Graham and composer Aaron Copland, later arranged as an orchestral work. The ballet was well received at the 1944 premiere, earning Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music during its 1945 United States tour. The suite is among Copland’s best-known works, and the ballet remains essential in the Martha Graham Dance Company repertoire. Originally orchestrated for a 13-piece chamber orchestra, Copland arranged it into various suites for different purposes.
The final selection, Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” composed by Marvin Hamlisch, provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer, as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. It debuted in Chicago in 1976 and was an unprecedented box office and critical hit, receiving 12 Tony Award nominations and winning nine awards, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The concert will be held at 4 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 605 W. Golf Road, in Mount Prospect. Admission is $5 at the door. Note the change of day to Saturday, March 14, from the band’s usual Sunday performances.
The Mount Prospect Community Band is a program of the Mount Prospect Park District under Cultural Arts Manager Toria Davis Smith. For more information, call the Mt. Prospect Park District, at (847) 640-1000.