From marches to musical scores, the Naperville Municipal Band will cover a lot of patriotic ground during its Fall Concert at 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at Wentz Concert Hall on Naperville’s North Central College campus.
“The concert is about remembering Pearl Harbor — the 80th anniversary — Veterans Day, Vietnam and John Philip Sousa,” said Conductor and Music Director Ronald Keller.
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The program runs the gamut from “The Chimes of Liberty,” a military march by American composer Edwin Franko Goldman published in 1937, to “America” from the 1957 Broadway musical “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
“The pieces on the show come at the concept of remembering or honoring veterans from a variety of angles,” explained Assistant Conductor Emily Binder, who, along with Assistant Conductor René Rosas, will conduct two numbers on this program.
Other concert highlights include “Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams from the 1998 “Saving Private Ryan” film soundtrack, 1945’s “Autumn Leaves” by Joseph Kosma, and “Victory at Sea,” written by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett for NBC’s 1952-1953 television documentary series about naval warfare in World War II.
“Some pieces such as ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ or ‘Autumn Leaves’ capture the melancholy side of service and the profound sadness that comes from war,” Binder said. “Other pieces, such as the marches and ‘Victory at Sea,’ are meant to stir the feelings of patriotism and courage our nation has used in times of great adversity.”
Also in the mix are “The Jersey Boys” — a medley of tunes from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — as well as some patriotic marches.
“‘The Jersey Boys’ captures the feelings of ‘back home’ and the happy or ‘normal’ times that take place while our servicemen and women are in faraway lands serving our country,” Binder said.
Capping the concert is a salute to the armed forces and a big finish with John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” the national march of the United States.
“The band is grateful and proud to be able to pay tribute to our veterans with music and looks forward to sharing this tribute with a live audience,” Binder said.
While the concert is free and open to the public, with no advance registration required, all audience members are required to wear a face mask throughout the show.
Next up, wrapping up the year’s end, the band’s final performance of 2021 will be its holiday concert 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at Wentz Concert Hall.
Naperville Municipal Band’s Fall Concert
When: 3 p.m. Nov. 14
Where: Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: free
Information: napervilleband.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.