Those who attend the Waukegan Band’s annual summer concert series beginning June 12 along Lake Michigan will see two different sets of stars, said director Mark A. Taylor.
“They can watch the stars come out overhead in the night sky,” as the sun sets, and they can listen to and watch the stars of the band including brass, woodwind and percussion players, he said. Other stars doing performances with the Waukegan Band this summer include the Milwaukee Festival Brass and Great Lakes Navy Band.
New stars of the show will be teddy bears and other stuffed animals youngsters can bring for a new summer concert dedicated to young people.
Plenty of free parking is available. People can bring lawn chairs, blankets, their dinner and “watch the lights of the city of Chicago come on behind us,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who will direct the summer band for the third season, has planned a summer of concerts under the theme “See the stars by the lake.”
On June 12, the band will play pieces related to places to visit in summer, including “Blue Lake Overture,” written by a renowned band composer John Barnes Chance, who dedicated it to a summer music camp in Michigan. “Lots of kids from the area go there in the summer,” Taylor said. The festival brass will perform music having to do with summer festivals.
Taylor, a Lake Forest resident with a music degree from Northwestern University, also is the director of the Milwaukee Festival Brass and serves as percussionist with the Chicago Brass Band.
On June 19, the band will perform “Coming Attractions” featuring music that highlights upcoming arts and cultural events in the region.
The Lyric Opera is presenting “La Boheme” in October 2018 and the College of Lake County is staging “Cabaret” July 20-29. Taylor will lead the band in arrangements with recognizable tunes from the opera and the musical.
The Great Lakes Navy Band joins the Waukegan Band June 26 for a joint concert, presenting patriotic selections. “The audience loves when the military bands are able to come,” Taylor said.
The Waukegan Band will perform the popular 1812 Overture and then join the Navy Band to play “America the Beautiful,” and “Armed Forces Salute,” a tribute to all branches of the military.
“Nothing says summertime band concert like your favorite patriotic selections,” Taylor said.
The Waukegan Band Foundation board proposed a new concert for young people this summer. “Youth Night: A Teddy Bear Picnic,” will be held July 17.
“We’ll have a space down front where the kids can sit on blankets and watch the concert,” Taylor said. “They can come in their pajamas and bring their stuffed animals.”
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The band will perform an old-time band piece, “The Teddy Bears Picnic,” which encourages children to march around, and an Elvis Presley medley that includes “Teddy Bear,” among other familiar tunes.
The final concert, Aug, 7, “Bernstein’s Birthday Bash,” will celebrate the anniversary of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein with music from his opera, “Candide,” among others. At the concert, the community will be asked to donate to the Waukegan Band Foundation.
The band started as a branch of the city government during the Great Depression. At that time, residents paid a band tax used to raise funds for the creation of the municipal band.
Today, the Waukegan Bands is an independent organization with a 501c3 nonprofit status.
“The audiences keep growing every summer,” Taylor said. Five years ago, the average attendance was around 200. “Now we’re in the mid-300s,” he said.
“We love to provide this music to the community. Every summer, our players come from different neighborhoods and towns around the area. They leave the pressures and stresses of the everyday world behind them to rehearse on Mondays and perform on Tuesdays.”
Band members need to be skilled in sight reading since they only have one night of rehearsal before the concert, he said.
“It challenges me for sure,” Taylor said. “There’s no other place in my musical life where I have to learn six or seven scores in a single week and direct them … I love the fact that we’re bringing the community together. I keep reading about how divided we are. There’s no denying it. Yet here we are — performers, audience members from all walks of life, professions and life situations — coming together and sharing the same space. That’s really important for us to do.”
Here’s the complete series dates and themes.
June 12: “Vacation Postcards,” featuring guest performance by Milwaukee Festival Brass
June 19: “Coming Attractions,” including pieces that highlight upcoming arts events in the region
June 26: “American Celebration,” featuring the Great Lakes Navy Band
July 10: “Starry, Starry Night,” featuring music inspired by the evening sky including “Jupiter” by Gustav Holst
July 17: “Youth Night: A Teddy Bear Picnic,” inviting children to wear pajamas and bring stuffed animals
July 24: “Twitter and Tweet: A Bird Lover’s Concert,” featuring music inspired by birds
July 31: “Lights Winds off the Lake,” featuring the band’s favorite music
Aug. 7: “Bernstein Birthday Bash,” a tribute to Leonard Bernstein
Waukegan Outdoor Summer Band Concerts
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, June 12-Aug. 7, except July 3
Where: Stiner Pavilion, 201 Sea Horse Dr., Waukegan
Tickets: Free
Information: www.waukeganband.com