Sunday, October 31, 2010

Concert announcement and a possible Christmas Gift

First, today, is the concert announcement. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band will perform a concert saluting our Veterans on Saturday November 6 at 5 PM in Memorial Hall at the War Memorial Center in downtown Milwaukee, where Wisconsin Avenue meets Prospect Avenue, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive). The MMCCB performs patriotic concerts recognizing Veterans Day every year, and it is always good concert: a nice mix of remembering the fallen and saluting those still with us. If you go, I know you will enjoy the concert. The band will also perform the concert on Veterans Day at the Zablocki Hospital.

And here is some news from the Racine Concert Band that might help you with your Christmas shopping. The Business Manager of the Racine Band, and former Music Director Del Esich, has written a book on the history of the Racine Band. The book is called And The Band Played On. He traces the beginnings of the band back to the 1850's and discusses the contributions of Henry and Fred Schulte in the 20's through the 40's. Of course, he outlines the years he was at the helm, including the band's performance with Barbra McNair in 1987 at the Grand Dedication of Racine's Festival Hall, and the awarding of the Sudler Silver Scroll to the Racine Concert Band by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation in 1995. The band is one of the best in the nation with the history to show for it.

It is a fascinating read. If you are interested in community bands, this book is a must for your library. It is available at Wilson's Coffee Shop in Racine: 3306 Washington Avenue, 262-634-6611. Give them a call or stop by for a coffee or tea when you pick up your copy. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, some of the photographs used in the book were taken by yours truly. But that is not the reason to buy the book. OK, maybe it is a small reason...

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