Melbourne Municipal Band plans swingin' season filled with concerts, dances and more

Maria Sonnenberg
·5 min read
Melbourne Municipal Band's full concert band is gearing up for a music-packed season. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.
Melbourne Municipal Band's full concert band is gearing up for a music-packed season. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.

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They have been making music for more than half a century, and the musicians of the Melbourne Municipal Band - also known as MMB - plan on even more musical interludes for Brevard audiences.

In fact, there is plenty of music ahead as MMB launches its 2022/2023 concert season Sept. 21 and 22. For next year, the band’s popular 20-piece Swingtime Jazz Orchestra will transform its traditional concerts to Concert Cafes, giving the audience the option of sitting back and listening to the music or getting up and doing spins around the dance floor.

Conductor Kurt Schulenburg is also including another layer of excellence to the ensemble’s vast repertoire.

“We’re not getting rid of our Swing roots by any means, but we are adding a whole lot more to it, exploring new directions inspired by the working Big Bands of today,” said Schulenburg.

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Audiences can expect more charts by Gordon Goodwin, leader of L.A.’s super-hot group Big Phat Band, and Tom Kubis, another established West Coast band leader. “Our vocalists will be singing charts from Diana Krall, Michael Buble and the New York Voices,” said Schulenburg.

Rock & Roll Revue, another major MMB group, will also be busy next season keeping folks on their toes.

The Rock & Roll Revue, an ensemble of Melbourne Municipal Band, plays at venues throughout Brevard. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.
The Rock & Roll Revue, an ensemble of Melbourne Municipal Band, plays at venues throughout Brevard. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.

“We’ve had a tremendous response to our Rock & Roll Revue sock hops, so we have added more of these to the calendar,” said conductor Art Martin.

Remember the Twist, the Hully Gully, the Watusi, the Pony, the Jerk? Rock & Roll Revue plans plenty of opportunities for audiences to show off their dancing skills with these '50s and '60s classics.

2023 should prove a banner year for the Band, considering that it was selected through a competitive process to perform at the Association of Concert Bands’ National Convention in Orlando in May of next year.

“It is a great honor to be chosen to play at this convention,” said MMB conductor Staci Rosbury.

Going along with the convention’s theme of “diversity,” MMB has prepared a program featuring the music of composers of a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds. Local audiences will enjoy a taste of the program at the band's April 12 and 13 concerts, “Music that Moves You.”

Making concerts affordable for all has been the Band’s philosophy. Admission to all concerts is free, allowing residents and tourists alike to get their musical fix. Monthly concerts are held at the Band’s home turf, Melbourne Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd.

Swingtime, an ensemble of Melbourne Municipal Band, provides several dances throughout the year at the Melbourne Auditorium. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.
Swingtime, an ensemble of Melbourne Municipal Band, provides several dances throughout the year at the Melbourne Auditorium. For information about Melbourne Municipal Band's upcoming concerts, visit mmband.org.

The breadth of talent is significant. A third of the musicians are professional or music educators. “Many of them are alumni of top military bands or nationally known musical groups, explained Rosbury.

Rock & Roll Revue conductor Art Martin, for example, performed with Dizzy Gillespie, the Drifters, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and Little Anthony, among many others, and in the orchestra of Broadway musical productions ranging from “West Side Story” to “The Music Man.”

While Rock & Roll Revue and Swingtime are major ensembles, they are only part of the picture. There is also Swingtime Lite, the Oh Golly Dixieland Band, the Swingtimers Vocal Trio, Adagio Sax Quartet, Sunshine Brass Quintet, the Clarinetics, 3 Gen Flutes and the Mel-bones. These smaller groups perform at a variety of venues throughout the county.

MMB’s slate of concerts begins Sept. 21 and 22 with “The Water is Wide,” a pair of concerts featuring music associated with lakes, rivers and oceans. The program includes selections from Percy Grainger, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert W. Smith and John Philip Sousa.

Concertgoers should note that concerts in the regular MMB season will begin at 7 p.m., instead of the traditional 7:30 time slot. The only variation will be the summer “picnic” series, which will continue with a 6:30 p.m. start time.

“That way, dances and concerts all start at the same time,” explained Rosbury.

Audiences can expect a rich salad of themes next season.

  • “The Greatest Generation” (Nov. 9 and 10) honors vets as Dr. Daniel Bolin conducts a piece he commissioned from composer Julie Giroux to honor his father and the service men and women from World War II.

  • “Herald the Holidays” (Dec. 7 and 8) features everything from pop holiday favorites to music themed to Hannukah and favorite hymns.

  • “Inspired by Books” (Feb. 22 and 23) is a celebration of music inspired by literature, from Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days,” to Harry Potter, “Beauty and the Beast,” and more.

  • “Music That Moves You” (April 12 and 13) will feature diverse composers that will make audiences either want to dance and party or just contemplate.

The free “Not-in-the-Park” picnic dinner-and-a-show series, which encourages audiences to bring refreshments or purchase dinners at the event, starts June 7 and runs through Aug. 10.

Swingtime launches its season Oct. 12 and 13 with “Gallimaufry Gig,” a mix of new tunes and Hit Parade classics. Come Jan. 18 and 19, Swingtime turns to “TV Tunes Tonight” for inspiration, with a primetime panorama of the great jazz tunes that bookmarked television programs from the days of black and white to todays’ streaming. Come March 8 and 9, it’s time for “Sundry Showcase,” the best of the last 100 years of jazz.

Dave Hutson, Connie Maltby and Diana Sageser are the Swingtimers Vocal Trio. They perform with MMB's Swingtime Ensemble throughout the year.
Dave Hutson, Connie Maltby and Diana Sageser are the Swingtimers Vocal Trio. They perform with MMB's Swingtime Ensemble throughout the year.

That’s not all. Rock & Roll Revue holds it “Kickoff Sock Hop” Sept. 23. Dec. 9 is time for Swingtime’s holiday dance. On New Years Eve, the popular New Year’s Eve Gala at Melbourne Hilton is typically a sellout, and “regulars” know to purchase tickets for this very special event as soon as they become available.

Rock & Roll Revue celebrates Valentine’s Day early Jan. 20 with “Sweetheart’s Sock Hop” and boogies heartily March 10 with “Spring Fling Sock Hop.”

The MMB season of sock hops and dances rounds up with Swingtime’s “Spring, Sprang, Sprung” dance April 14 and Rock & Roll Revue’s “June Moon” sock hop on June 9.

For more on Melbourne Municipal Band and its ensembles, visit mmband.org or call 321-724-0555.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne Municipal Band shows off vast repertoire with new season