I’m excited about our upcoming concert band season! It begins with the Old Bills Fun Run on September 9th at the Jackson Elementary School fields. We’ll be playing music that is energetic and uplifting, such as “The Captain America March”, “Magnificent Seven” and “The Rocky Theme”.
The Old Bills event is when our community comes together to celebrate non-profit organizations through an outdoor activity. It’s our biggest moment to remind our donors why it’s important to give to the community band. Concerts don’t just happen! So much work goes behind the scenes to make a concert enjoyable for all audiences. We have to order new music and library supplies. Our rehearsal spaces are rented through the Center for the Arts. Some members need to borrow instruments and we have to take care of the ones we own. If you donate to our organization, it makes a difference!
I’d like to summarize the rest of our events for the season. We’ll be playing our annual Halloween Concert at Walk Festival Hall on October 28th. This is my favorite event of the season because we get to play fun and spooky music for kids in their Halloween costumes. The kids also get Halloween candy and sing along to the Addams Family.
Our Holiday events include the Lighting of the Town Square on November 24th at Jackson Town Square and the Holiday Concert on December 16th at the Center for the Arts Theater. The Town Square event has the band playing traditional carols alongside the Jackson Hole Chorale and “Here Comes Santa Claus” as Santa arrives on a fire truck. Our Holiday Concert features classic Christmas and Hanukkah music, as well as some interesting twists on classic themes. You will also see us at the Wyoming Special Olympics opening ceremony and local schools.
Our Spring Concert is our most ambitious concert, showcasing our most challenging repertoire of the season. This season’s theme has not been decided yet, however it will have a story-like approach, taking our audiences on a musical journey. The Spring Concert is on April 28th, 2024, at the Center for the Arts Theater.
The last part of our season is our patriotic concerts, which occur in May, June and July. We’ll be playing in two parades, Old West Days Parade (now Best of the West) and the Independence Day Parade. We also play a short show for Elkfest and the 4th of July Lion’s Club Breakfast in Town Square, an instrument petting zoo with the Grand Teton Music Festival, and wrap up our concert season with a full show at Jackson Lake Lodge on the last Saturday of June. The patriotic shows feature music that celebrates America and the brave men and women who fought, or continue to fight, for our country.
Overall, the concert band season seems to be packed with exciting events that you won’t want to miss. Make sure to mark your calendar, and we hope to see you there!
Auf Wiedersehen!
-Zach Singer