Community band to play free July 4 concert before fireworks
After performing for an enthusiastic crowd on Memorial Day, members of the Oak Ridge Community Band are rehearsing for the annual Independence Day concert to be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at A.K. Bissell Park behind the Oak Ridge Civic Center.
The July 4 concert will be followed by the city fireworks show, which every year is one of the most well-attended events in Oak Ridge.
In addition, this year the band is celebrating the 79th anniversary of its first performance, which took place on July 4, 1944.
Razzleberry's Ice Cream Lab will sell cool refreshments.
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; donations are appreciated to offset band expenses.
Among the numbers for the July 4 program will be Jacob de Haan’s “Oregon,” which has been donated to the Community Band by Arthur and Rebecca Acres and which will be guest conducted by Arthur Acres. A Community Band member for seven years who currently serves as the trumpet section leader, Acres has been an elementary and middle school band director in Hamblen County, as well as assisting with Morristown West High School Band. He has also been the assistant band director for the Oneida High School band and taught private lessons for trumpet and French horn.
Community band director Shaun Salem will conduct Morton Gould’s “American Salute,” Rossini’s famous “William Tell Overture,” Warren Barker’s arrangement of “In the Miller Mood,” Frederick Loewe’s “My Fair Lady,” John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post” and an excerpt from Tschaikowsky’s “1812 Overture.”
Topping off the program will be Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” followed by an encore of 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. See www.orcb.org and keep up with band current events at www.facebook.com/OakRidgeCommunityBand.
Barbara Gritzner is the Oak Ridge Community Band's publicist, as well as a band member.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge Tennessee Community Band concert before July4 fireworks
