Kick off to summer: Memorial Day Concert; first time since 2019
Oak Ridge area residents are reminded that the Oak Ridge Community Band will be presenting its Memorial Day concert at 7 p.m. Monday, May 30, in A.K. Bissell Park.
This is a free performance and is an excellent way for family and friends to end the holiday weekend with an entertaining concert and to show your appreciation to the men and women who have served in the military to maintain our freedom.
Not only is Memorial Day an opportunity to salute our veterans and military personnel, but it is often considered to be the "unofficial" beginning of the summer and will be the first concert of the Community Band outdoor series with three other performances on July 4, Aug. 7, and Sept. 5.
The Community Band is pleased to present Brian Ensign as the tenor vocalist for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Band of Brothers,” and “America, The Beautiful.” Ensign has studied with operatic tenor Dr. Sang-In Han of Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa and has performed in numerous amateur and collegiate choirs and stage productions. Ensign is a graduate of Iowa State University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee.
Other songs on Monday’s program include a solemn rendition of “Taps,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and “Armed Forces Salute” featuring “The Caisson Song,” “Semper Paratus,” “The Marines’ Hymn, “The U.S. Air Force,” and “Anchors Aweigh.” Veterans and current military personnel in the audience will be asked to stand during the song representing their branch of service.
The concert-goers are also expected to enjoy hearing the band’s own Dixieland Ensemble performing “At a Dixieland Jazz Funeral” with soloists Richard VonHatten on trombone, Jim Hix on trumpet, Tim Powers on tuba, and Kristi Younkin on clarinet. Another highlight song on Monday evening’s program will be a medley of World War II tunes in “Benny Goodman: The King of Swing.”
The public is encouraged to bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating around the Performing Arts Pavilion, and Razzleberry's Ice Cream Lab will be in the park to provide cool refreshments during the performance.
The Community Band is directed by Shaun Salem and will begin rehearsals on Thursday evening, June 2, for the July 4 Independence Day concert. Area musicians, particularly college students and summer employees, are invited to join the band for the summer season and can visit www.orcb.org or call (865) 202-2773 for more information. The public can also keep up with the Community Band by accessing Facebook on www.facebook.com/OakRidgeCommunityBand.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Community Band kicking off summer with Memorial Day concert
