Community Band to perform July 4 concert
After performing for an enthusiastic crowd on Memorial Day, members of the Oak Ridge Community Band are currently rehearsing for the annual Independence Day concert to be held on Monday evening, July 4, at A.K. Bissell Park located behind the Oak Ridge Civic Center.
The July 4 concert followed by the city fireworks show is a wonderful opportunity for Oak Ridge and area residents to celebrate the Independence Day holiday with great music, an exciting fireworks display, and cool refreshments from Razzleberry's Ice Cream Lab.
Band members always look forward to the July 4 concert because our performance provides the traditional "prelude" to the city fireworks display, which every year is one of the most well-attended events in Oak Ridge, and also because it is the anniversary of the Community Band's first performance which took place on July 4, 1944, making this year our 78th anniversary.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and because the concert and fireworks attract large crowds, the public is encouraged to come early for good seating. Bring chairs or blankets and prepare to spend a casual and fun evening with family and friends! All Community Band concerts are free, and donations are gratefully appreciated to offset band expenses.
Director Shaun Salem has planned a very entertaining program with a variety of music including patriotic numbers, swing tunes, marches, classical, contemporary, and more. The July 4 program will include Tom Knox’s “Armed Forces Medley 72,” Morton Gould’s “Yankee Doodle,” Jay Chattaway’s “Parade of the Tall Ships,” and “Indivisible!” composed by Salem. Also on the program will be James Christensen’s arrangement of “The Homefront: Musical Memories from World War II,” Rossanto Galante’s “Beyond the Horizon,” Gary Gilroy’s “Three Stars of Tennessee,” and Anton Dvorak’s “Finale from The New World Symphony.”
The audience will also enjoy hearing Kenneth Alford’s “Colonel Bogey” and John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post.” And to top off this fantastic program will be a stirring rendition of Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Our encore number will be Samuel Ward’s “America, The Beautiful.”
The Oak Ridge Community Band meets for rehearsals every Thursday, 7 p.m., at the First Baptist Church, and interested area musicians can call (865) 202-2773 for information on joining. The public is encouraged to visit our website at www.orcb.org and keep up with band current events at www.facebook.com/OakRidgeCommunityBand.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Community Band to perform July 4 concert
