AVB Community Band Concert "Joy & Triumph"

For immediate release The summer outdoor concert season throughout the area has wrapped up, and now it’s time to move inside to join the AVB Community Band as it begins its 44th concert season with an uplifting concert titled “Joy & Triumph.” Opening night for the “All-Volunteer” Band’s eight-concert season is Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. at the beautiful Ashwaubenon Performing Arts Center (PAC), 2391 S. Ridge Road in Ashwaubenon. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is at no charge, with donations appreciated during intermission and following the concert. The Sept. 15 evening of music is sponsored, in part, by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 224. Our evening of music is also made possible by our ongoing, sustaining AVB Community Band Donors who are recognized in each concert program, our advertisers and by audience members who support the band financially with their donations at each concert. We thank each and every one of you for your support to continue our mission of “Music for a Lifetime.” The theme for the 2025-2026 concert season is “Come Together: Music That Inspires and Unites.” And, as Mike Ajango, director of the AVB Community Band, emphasized, “It actually has a second meaning: come to the concert together with your friends!" “The Sept. 15 concert will feature festive and uplifting melodies that honor the joy and impact of music,” Ajango said. The AVB Community Band features 75 musicians, all of whom volunteer their time – including the directors. The associate director is Paul Oleksy. The narrator for each concert is Bruce Deadman. During the performance, Dale Pearson, a longtime tenor saxophone player with the AVB Community Band and other area bands, will be remembered. Dale passed away on June 28. The evening will feature a diverse selection of music, Ajango said, beginning with the rousing “An American Fanfare” by Wisconsin composer Rick Kirby. It is followed by Robert Sheldon’s majestic and inspiring “Commemoration Overture.” Composer Rick Kirby will again be featured in his moving arrangement of the English folksong “The Water is Wide.” “Shoutin’ Liza Trombone,” written by Henry Fillmore, will feature our talented trombone section. The first half of the evening closes out with “Opening Night on Broadway,” with familiar music from “The Producers,” “ Avenue Q,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “Wicked” and “The Lion King.” As the second half of the concert begins, the band takes you to a new day dawning in Richard Saucedo’s powerful “Awakening Hills.” The work of Richard Saucedo is always a band and audience favorite. Movie composer Elmer Bernstein will be celebrated in the AVB Community Band’s rendition of music from “The Magnificent Seven.” The musical score for “The Magnificent Seven” is considered one of the greatest American film scores by the American Film Institute. The band next performs a haunting piece by composer Eric Whitacre, who was commissioned by the Texas music educators to adapt his chorale piece “Lux Aurumque (‘Light and Gold’)” for the 2005 Texas All-State Band. Next up is “Farandole,” arranged by Andrew Balent. The piece is one of French composer Georges Bizet’s most famous works. The concert concludes with “Fantasy Adventure at the Movies,” arranged by Michael Brown, and featuring the music of “Star Trek,” “Back to the Future,” “The Princess Bride,” “E.T.” and “The Rocketeer.” “We have an exciting season planned,” Ajango said. “Invite a friend or two to join you for Sept. 15 and throughout the season. And make some new friends here at the AVB concerts! It’s going to be a great season. And, remember, we’re back at the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts for the holidays on Thursday, Dec. 11.” “Mark your calendar for all eight of our concerts. It’s going to be a memorable season of music,” he said. Founded as the Allouez Village Band by Robert Seering, the organization rebranded for its 40th season as the AVB Community Band – AVB stands for “All-Volunteer Band” and better identifies the organization as including membership from throughout the area. The AVB Community Band also accepts used musical instruments in good condition for use by area schoolchildren. For more information, see avbcommunityband.org.

Event Links

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3243508-0

Read More

View Less