Classics are classics for a reason.
There will be plenty of memorable melodies when the Naperville Municipal Band takes stage for its Winter Concert at 3 p.m. March 1 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville.
“The concert is called ‘Band Classics’ and will feature music that has stood the test of time and is as good today as it was when it was first performed,” said Ron Keller, the band’s conductor and music director. “I try to program music that is appealing to everyone that attends.”
The concert features Chelsea French playing the trombone solo “The Blue Bells of Scotland.”
“This solo was made famous by Arthur Pryor, the trombone soloist with John Philip Sousa in the early 1900s,” Keller said. “Chelsea teaches trombone at North Central College.”
Also on the program, Assistant Conductor Emily Binder will lead the overture “Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna,” written by Austrian composer Franz von Suppé.
“Many of the melodies of this overture are found in cartoons, especially Bugs Bunny,” Keller said.
Binder will conduct “Allerseelen” by German composer Richard Strauss as well. Also on the program are the prelude to Act 1 of the opera “La traviata” by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, “Beguine for Band” by American composer Glen Osser and a new medley of Italian songs called “Italian Holiday.”
And, of course, there will be marches.
“The concert will include several marches and end with Irving Berlin’s ‘Songs for America,'” Keller said. “The final number will be a salute to the 100th birthday of the American Legion, ‘Comrades of the Legion March’ by the march king, John Philip Sousa.”
The band has 90 members.
“We fill the stage at Wentz,” Keller said. “As usual, Ann Lord, our mistress of ceremonies, will weave her magic connecting the music stories about each selection.”
The program offers quite a variety.
“I hope that our audience can be moved by the beautiful and recognizable melodies we will presenting at the concert,” Binder said. “There will certainly be at least a few that people will rapidly recognize. Once they do, I hope they enjoy those melodies and even reconnect with the memories associated with the sounds that are a part of their life’s playlist.”
The Naperville Municipal Band has been making music for the community since 1859.
“The arts are essential in every community — whether it be music, dance or visual art — and tell the story of a community like nothing else can,” Binder said. “It represents the people, their heritage, the values of the community, and the most basic and fundamental creative needs we all have as human beings. The Naperville Municipal Band has been deeply entwined with the history of this amazing city for over 160 years.”
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Binder said it is an honor to serve the community through concerts and performances at special events around town.
“It is also a joy to watch lifelong musicians — many of whom have non-musical careers — experience the indescribable and uncontrollable intrinsic rewards that come with creating music,” she said. “Every member of a community deserves access to such an opportunity.”
Naperville Municipal Band’s Winter Concert
When: 3 p.m. March 1
Where: Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: free
Information: 630-778-9994; napervilleband.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.