Author: musicus1685

It looks like the inclement weather is passing out of the area and we should have near perfect weather in the mid-70s. Please share on social media and let’s see a good crowd for the last concert of our season. The concert will start at 7:30 as scheduled. Music from Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo and more, plus music of Spain with our delightful castanet soloist, Millie Ho!

On Thursday (7/28), the Heritage Concert Band will perform its annual Children’s Concert. The band will play special selections for kids of ages. Kids can sit near the stage and will get a chance to participate during the performance. 

 This year the band welcomes Milagros (Millie) Ho, who will dazzle the audience with her castanet capabilities. Millie was born in Puerto Rico and studied piano performance at the Conservatorio de Música.  In 1999, she moved to Illinois to begin a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance at SIUE.  She studied with Dr. Linda Perry, graduating in 2001, and is currently on the piano faculty of the SIUE Keyboard Development Program.

In December 2011, after seeing a virtuoso castanet player on YouTube, Mrs. Ho began teaching herself to play the instrument using the method books of two famous castanet players, Emma Maleras who developed the notation for castanets, and Ria Schneider.  She was castanet soloist with the Parkway Middle School Chamber Orchestra and the Edwardsville Symphony Orchestra, and for the past 8 years has performed with Dr. Perry in the piano & castanet duo “Keys and Castanets”.

   Castanets were named in Spanish castañetes after the castaño or chestnut tree, from which they were often made. Castanets actually go back not just centuries but millennia, at least as far back as the Persian Empire, Ancient Greece and Rome. Be a part of their continuing history and come to Thursday’s Children’s Concert. The one hour concert starts at 7:30 pm on stage behind the Staunton Public Library. Bring chairs or blankets and refreshments! See below the photo of our guest for inclement weather information!

Millie Ho, Guest Soloist

NOTE: Should the concert be rained out, we will present it on the following week. If the weather situation seems like imminent rain, please check this webpage before heading to the concert as we will announce the postponement here if it becomes necessary.

We’re happy to be back in Staunton for a 4 concert series beginning tomorrow, June 7, 2022. Our Staunton concerts begin at 7:30 pm at the bandstand behind the Main Street public library.

Please share this on your social media!! Thank you and see you there!

STAUNTON CONCERT SERIES 
Concerts are at our recently refurbished band stand behind Staunton Public Library

Thursday, July 7 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 14 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 21 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 28 7:30 pm – ANNUAL CHILDREN’S CONCERT! Special guest Milagros Ho, concert castañetera!
Thursday, August 4 (Rain Date – if a previous Staunton concert is rained out, we will have a concert on this date)

SPECIAL CONCERTS

Sunday, July 17 6:00 PM Annual Concert at Immanuel Ice Cream Social
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Main St. in Mt. Olive

Greetings Band Members and Fans! We’re pleased to announce our 2022 Season.

Memorial Day Performances

STAUNTON
Staunton Public Library facing Main Street
Band Members should be set up and ready to play by 10:10
Short Concert begins at 10:30 until parade arrives at City Hall
Ceremony proper begins at 11:00 AM

BENLD
Benld Cemetery
Band Members should be set up and ready to play by 12:15
Short Concert begins at 12:30 PM
Ceremony begins at 1:00 PM

GILLESPIE
Gillespie Cemetery
Ceremony begins at 2:00 PM–Band members arrive as soon as possible following Benld ceremony.

MT. OLIVE CONCERT SERIES (tentative schedule)
All Mt. Olive Concerts are in Mt. Olive City Park on Main Street

Thursday, June 2 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 9 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 16 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 23 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 30 (Rain Date – if a previous Mt. Olive concert is rained out, we will have a concert on this date)

STAUNTON CONCERT SERIES
Concerts are at our recently refurbished band stand behind Staunton Public Library

Thursday, July 7 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 14 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 21 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 28 7:30 pm – ANNUAL CHILDREN’S CONCERT! Special Guest Performer on the Program!!

Thursday, August 4 (Rain Date – if a previous Staunton concert is rained out, we will have a concert on this date)

SPECIAL CONCERTS

Sunday, July 17 6:00 PM Annual Concert at Immanuel Ice Cream Social
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Main St. in Mt. Olive

Tomorrow will bring Christmas in August. This will also be our final concert of the season. 7:30 pm Thursday Aug 5 Bandstand behind Staunton Public Library

Band members: Rehearsal as usual tonight but we should be finished by 8:00.

It’s sometimes a very difficult decision but because multiple radar tracks are showing an increasing likelihood of thunderstorms, couple with the high heat and humidity, it seems beat to cancel this evening’s concert. Next week, Christmas in August.

As of 6 pm, it looks like one of those difficult to call situations. At the moment we are still on for tonight but please watch here as the situation could change quickly.

Every few years, the band performs a Christmas in July Concert to help beat the heat (and to get the chance to play some great music from the winter season). Tonight we’ll present a wide array of carols, popular songs, themes from beloved Christmas animation features and even some Chanukah favorites. We’ll even dress the stage, instruments and musicians in festive attire. You won’t want to miss it!!

7:30 PM, Bandstand behind Staunton Public Library In the event of rain we will always announce cancellations on our homepage: http://mycommunityband.org

7:30 Staunton Band Stand behind Staunton Public Library

Tonight is our annual Children’s concert in Staunton. Bring your whole family and enjoy special selections kids will enjoy, including music of John Williams, Theme from Thomas the Tank Engine and much much more. Since last week’s concert was rained out, we will also feature the very entertaining Flamingo Brass from SIUE. As we always have with our Children’s concert, we’ll have an opportunity for kids to join in a fun mini-parade.

You don’t want to miss this concert!! Please share this announcement everywhere with your various forms of Social Media!! Call/text your friends and family.