To The Leader

 

Lake Charles, LA—The Lake Charles Community Band announces plans for the 2019 “Catch A Concert” series that is held each Monday in June. The free public concerts will begin at 7 p.m. weekly and will be held on the 2nd floor Mezzanine of Lake Charles Civic Center. The theme for the summer of 2019 is “Legends.”

The first concert, which will be held on June 3, will pay tribute to some of Broadway’s legendary composers and musicals. The band’s first selection will pay tribute to the classic duo that epitomized Broadway’s “Golden Age”: Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.  Rogers and Hammerstein pioneered a new form of narrative storytelling that brought a new age of Broadway musical classics such as Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and South Pacific.

The June 3 concert will also feature musical selections from the Broadway favorites Chicago, Henry Mancini and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 70’s hit Jesus Christ Superstar, Frankie Valli 60’s Jersey Boys, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, and the Swedish group Abba’s jukebox musical Mama Mia!  Henry Filmore’s well-known march Americans We will finalize the night’s program.

On June 10, the Band invites all audience members young and old to come dressed as their favorite Disney character as they “whisk” the crowd away to the many worlds of Walt Disney. The band will perform selections from some of Disney’s most legendary movies such as When You Wish Upon A Star from 1940’s Pinocchio that will feature trumpet soloist Glenn George; the magical adventures of Aladdin; the romantic fantasy Beauty and the Beast; and from the Disney Renaissance era The Lion King; The Incredibles and last but not least Highlight from Frozen.

On June 17, the Band will feature the music of Pop and Rock Legends Elton John and Tina Turner, as well as the internationally famous instrumental groups Miami Sound Machine and Chicago. Trumpet soloist Brenda Harrington will be featured on Burt Bacharach’s beautiful ballad from the movie Alfie.  For all Superhero fans in the audience, the Band will have music from Captain America, the First Avengers, and highlights from the medieval fantasy epic Games of Thrones.

 The final concert of this series is on June 24. Audience members will be asked to join the band and the Louisiana Choral Foundation in honoring the men and women of the Armed Forces who have and still are bearing the hardships of global war. The Band will perform such favorites as America the Beautiful, Because of the Brave, John William’sHymn to the Fallen from the movie Private Ryan, America: The Dream Goes On, Armed Forces Salute and Stars and Stripes Forever.  The “Catch a Concert” series leads up to “Red, White, Blue, and You,” the city-wide Fourth of July Celebration. 

 The Lake Charles Community Band is supported by grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts of Louisiana, The City of Lake Charles, Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury as administered by the Arts and Humanities Council of SWLA. Funding is also provided by Phillips 66 and “Note Worthy” donations from audience members. For more information, contact Brenda Harrington, President, at (713) 837-1328 or email at bmhtrmpt@aol.com.

The Lake Charles Community Band has a history which began over a century ago. Although the size and instrumentation have varied considerably, the band’s predecessors have had a continuing policy of providing a combination of musical entertainment and culture for the citizens of Southwest Louisiana. Two of the city’s pioneer bands, both organized in 1881, were known as the R.K.R. Cornet Band and the Lake Charles Brass Band.  Around the turn of the century, the fifteen-member Eureka Brass Band entertained local audiences. In 1908, the city’s First Regiment Band provided music at the popular Shell Beach Drive Pavilion.  The current Lake Charles Community Band was organized in 1979 under the leadership Henry Alexandra, Steve Hand, Dr. Norman Smith, and Herman Vincent. Current conductor, Fredrick Roeder, was handed the baton in August 2016.  

In September 1998, the band established an office at the Central School Arts and Humanities Center and began rehearsing on Mondays in the auditorium. The band now rehearses at Lake Charles Boston, while maintaining its office at Central School. Currently, retired band director Leo Murray assists our new head director Fred Roeder with conducting duties. The all-volunteer group is dedicated to sharing a love of music with the public. The group is made up of music educators, teachers, retirees, housewives, craftsmen, professionals, and students.