Patriotic Music heats up Memorial Park on July 5

The Wheaton Municipal Band presents the second of two Patriotic concerts in Memorial Park on Thursday, July 5 at 8:00 p.m.  Come early, because the park fills up quickly.  The concert offers a chance to share in the patriotic spirit of July 4th celebrations.  Of course, there will be Sousa Marches to tap your toes to.  Sousa, the essence of American music gets the patriotic juices flowing.   The program also includes “Flight” by Claude T. Smith.  “Flight was commissioned by the Air Force Band and premiered in 1984.  It is the official march of the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.  Not a typical march, the Pachelbel’s Canon, brass fanfares and the U.S. Air Force theme song are embedded in the score.

Come hear more than just marches.   Dr. Bruce Moss has placed on the program "Irving Berlin’s Showstopper Medley. Berlin’s direct, uncomplicated approach to melody and lyrics has made him a favorite.  He wrote over 1,500 songs, including 19 Broadway shows and 18 Hollywood films scores. This medley includes Puttin' On The Ritz, Cheek To Cheek, Shaking The Blues Away, Steppin' Out With My Baby, and There's No Business Like Show Business.

The “1812 Overture” appears again this week for a reprise of last week's human cannon. The overture features several cannon blasts in its rousing finale. Since cannons can't be fired in Memorial Park, Dr. Bruce Moss, the band’s maestro, will cue the audience to shout out "Boom!" at the appropriate places in the score.

The evening’s featured soloists perform a duet of an unusual flare:  “The Elephant and the Fly: by H. Kling.  Barb Austin on piccolo and Robert Holland on Trombone will delight the audience with this musical depiction of the well-known fable.

 This Patriotic concert is one not to be missed.  Come early and grab a spot on the lawn at Memorial Park in downtown Wheaton.  The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 5.  As always, the concert is free.