Summer 2012 band calendar announced!

Band shell nears completion!

April 13 photos

The band shell is nearing completion of its re-construction. While the new shell is a near identical copy of the original, the storage has been improved. The only original sections that were able to be preserved were the two walls of either side of the shell itself (those have been sandblasted down to the concrete and will be refinished to match the new material in the shell itself). The ground surrounding the structure will be graded and hydro-seeded in early May, allowing six weeks for final preparations before the summer concert season begins.

Our concert season opens on June 13th - more details to come so stay tuned!!!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.