Friday, October 28, 2011

Bandshell update


January 26th update

Thanks to the leadership of Craig MacDonald of the Alden B. Dow Family Foundation, the funding is now in place for a complete restoration of the Ted Nicholson band shell at Central Park. Demolition started on October 16 and the project will continue so long as the weather conditions permit. The restored band shell will be ready by May, 2012.

Some $25,000 was raised through many individual donors throughout the community. Several area foundations have made large contributions to this project, which includes a maintenance fund to ensure the structure does not fall into disrepair in the coming century. The spirit of cooperation is awesome and reflects the great Midland tradition of coming together to support community projects for the benefit of all. A total of close to $230,000 was needed to properly compete this task.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Closing thoughts for 2011

Well, its hard to believe but the 2011 concert season is now history! Overall, we had good weather (only lost one concert due to rain, and that was due to flooding in front of the band shell). The band performed a wide variety of music, and we enjoyed the support of large audiences (averaging 250+ per event).

The latest word on the band shell restoration project is encouraging, but your ongoing support of vital to the success of this project. The Midland Daily News offered this update on August 4, 2011:

http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_548d7a40-ba9d-5c49-80e8-a8c145612a5b.html

Stay tuned for updates as more information becomes available!

As always, we so much appreciate your support and your attendance to our performances. It is our pleasure to share our music with you.


Jim Huber

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Week 7 - Season Finale - July 27, 7:30pm

Our 2001 summer concert series concludes this week with a program led by our guest conductor, Tom Broka. The first half of the concert with feature the Chemical City Band performing music including "Selections from the Music Man", and "West Side Story". Mr. Broka is retired from the Bay City Public Schools, where he served many years as Music Coordinator and Director of Bands at Handy and Western High Schools.

The second half of the evening will offer excepts from the upcoming Teenage Musicals production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". This projection is under the direction of Tracey Kempsell, who teaches middle school choir and elementary general music in the Midland Public Schools.

Please join us as we conclude our 102nd season of free concerts here in Midland's Central Park.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Week 6 - July 20, 7:30pm





Our next performance will be on Wed July 20th, and will be an evening of light classics. Featured soloist will be french hornist Al Rise, a recent graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School who will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Music beginning next month. He will perform the Concertpiece for Horn by the great French composer Camille Saint-Saens.



Rounding out the program will be:

March from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
Concertpiece (horn soloist Al Rise)
Ballet Parisien (excepts from Offenbach's music)
Belle of the Ball
Three Ayes from Gloucester
The Invincible Eagle march
... and more

In addition, we will be recognizing a member of the band who has performed for over 50 summers in the woodwind section. Come and see who we are honoring!!!

We will also bring you an update on the fundraising for the Central Park Band Shell Project (with Craig MacDonald of the Alden B. and Vada Dow Foundation).

The program begins at 7:30pm, so make plans to join us.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Week 5 - July 13, 7:30pm


Our summer concert series continues this week with the hope of another beautiful evening in our favorite concert venue, Central Park. Musical selections will include:

PDQ Bach - 2nd movement, Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion :)
Clare Grundman - American Folk Rhapsody
Percy Grainger - Suite of selections (Country Gardens, Danny Boy, and Molly on the Shore)
Aram Kachaturian - Sabre Dance
Eric Osterling - March for a Festive Occasion
James Barnes - The Silver Gazebo
John Philip Sousa - two marches; The Gladiator, and Semper Fidelis

The fund drive to restore the band shell is ongoing, and we ask for your support for this worthy cause. Contributions can be made through the Midland Area Community Foundation. Be sure to select the Central Park Band Shell Project as your fund choice.

Come and join us for another evening of music and history as we continue our 102nd season of operation here in Midland.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Week 4 - An American Celebration




Our "4th of July concert" will take place on Wednesday July 6th! It all starts at 7:30pm in Central Park.


Musical selections will include the following:

American Folk Rhapsody #2 - Clare Grundman
Salute to America's Finest - a medley of military marches
E Pluribus Unum, march - Fred Jewell
Freedom Overture - John Edmondson
Tame the Savage Sea - Elliot del Borgo
Circus Bee, march - Henry Fillmore
The Walking Frog, march - Karl L. King
Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion - P.D.Q Bach
Stars and Stripes Forever - Sousa

Please join us for another evening in the 102nd season of the Chemical City Band.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Week 3 - Wed June 29

The weather looks GREAT for tonight, and all systems are green and go! The concert will begin at 7:30pm, and will include:

Slavonic Dances, opus 26 - Dvorak
Fandango - Perkins
The Thunder and the Roar (a medley of songs of abut trains) - LaPlante
Fugue on "Yankee Doodle" - Sousa
Brighton Beach, concert march - Latham
Instant Concert - Walters
Minnesota March - Sousa

... and more


Tonight will also include a special presentation about the Band Shell Restoration Project!

Please join us for a great evening at Central Park, Rodd Street at Collins Street.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Week 2 - Wed June 22, 7:30pm

Tonight's concert was cancelled due to the flooded conditions in the area where the band would be seated for performances:


We'll try again next week - Wed June 29th at 7:30pm. Craig MacDonald from the Alden B. Dow Family Foundation will be here to to share information on the project to restore the band shell to its 1938 condition. Please be sure to join us!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Opening night - Wed June 15, 7:30pm

The weather looks very promising for our opening night concert on Wed June 15. The concert will begin at 7:30pm and will include a wide variety of selections from marches to overtures to novelty pieces such as the "Lawrence Milk Plays Guy Lombago" (a caricature of the music styles of both Welk and Lombardo during the 1950's and 60's).

Please join us for the beginning of the 102nd season of Midland's Chemical City Band.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Central Park bandshell to be restored; fundraising under way - Midland Daily News

Central Park bandshell to be restored; fundraising under way : "Central Park’s treasured historic bandshell, which has been
deemed unfit for use, will receive a restoration."

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Video clips of the band are on YouTube!

Check out this link to view two selections from the band's past performances:





The first two selections are from the band's 2008 season (video production done by our friends at MCTV). The other videos on this site are of the CMU Marching Chippewas from the 1979-85 era.


The Chem City Band videos "skip" regularly because they were imported from a DVD that was (apparently) of questionable quality. :(

Monday, May 23, 2011

Band shell project

The summer 2011 season of the Chemical City Band will kick off on Wed June 15 at 7:30pm. As the band shell's future is under evaluation, the band will will set up in the grassy area directly between the shell and the benches. The usual seven week season is planned, concluding the last week of July. Jim Huber returns as principal conductor, assisted by guest conductors and soloists through the summer.

Much community interest is developing in the future of the band shell. Details will be coming out very soon, so watch the Midland Daily News for more information!

Click here for previous story on the band shell

Monday, January 17, 2011

Big news for 2011 and beyond!

Donors for the band's 2011 season include:

  • The Charles J. Strosacker foundation
  • The Carl & Esther Gerstacker foundation
  • The Alden and Vada Dow family foundation
  • Charter Communications

In addition to operational funding provided by the three foundations listed above, the Midland Area Community Foundation will be opening a new account to be titled the Chemical City Band Endowment Fund, to which our first major donor is Charter Communications!

More details will come as we approach the summer season, but this funding will ensure the operation of the band for at least the next three years, and the endowment project will plant the seeds for funding the band for many ,many years to come.

We look forward to the 2011 summer season, and hope you will continue to support one of Midland's finest traditions - the Chemical City Band.

Read article: http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_77623214-0f7b-11e0-9364-001cc4c002e0.html