The Wheaton Municipal Band Plays a Patriotic Salute on June 28

            The Wheaton Municipal Band presents a patriotic concert on Thursday, June  28 at 8PM in Memorial Park, 208 W. Union Ave, Wheaton.  The program blends traditional patriotic favorites including John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” march, “Armed Forces Medley”, and a bicentennial edition of the classic “1812 Overture.”  Also on the program, the band features one of its own members, Karen Olsen (Aurora), playing Henry Fillmore’s famous novelty tune “Lassus Trombone” with a slight twist.  Olsen will perform the piece on slide trumpet.

“A slide trumpet is similar to a trombone,” says Olsen.  “Instead of valves, it uses a slide.”  It resembles a soprano trombone, but they are distinctly different. “A soprano trombone looks like a mini-trombone, with the mouthpiece midway down the length of the instrument, but a slide trumpet has the mouthpiece on the end.  I have had this instrument on loan for a couple of years, and I was looking for a place to play it. I thought it'd be neat to play a popular, recognizable trombone smear piece on the slide trumpet.”

Olsen has a bachelor’s in music education degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and a Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois.  She has played in the Wheaton Municipal Band off and on since high school.  She taught band in Naperville at Crone Middle School and she is currently the director of bands for School District 81 in Schiller Park.

Don’t miss this outstanding Patriotic concert in Memorial Park.  Come early, bring a picnic and enjoy a piece of Americana.