Press Releases

The Middlesex Concert Band Presents

A Free Indoor Holiday Concert, Saturday, December 11, 2021, 7:30 PM Wakefield, MA

It’s that time of year again.  Time for carols and festive songs.  The
Middlesex Concert Band is hosting a Holiday Concert on Saturday, December 11,
2021 indoor at the Americal Civic Center in Wakefield, MA at 7:30 PM.  As a
thanks to the Community of Wakefield for their support, the band is offering
this concert for free.

Holiday music always holds a special place in our hearts.  This year, the band is performing such works as
Gesu Bambino, A Christmas Intrada, Stille Nacht (Silent Night), Jingle Bells
Swing, A Most Wonderful Christmas, The Eight Candle, Go Tell it on the Mountain,
Sleigh Ride, and much more. Music Director Mark Olson has put together a festive
program that will put listeners into the holiday spirit.  We hope to see
many of you there.

The Middlesex Concert Band is a nonprofit community band based in Wakefield, Massachusetts that regularly
performs concerts in Wakefield and surrounding communities, striving to bring
affordable entertainment to all. Originally founded in the 1950s as a marching
band, the group later evolved into a concert band which gave its first
performance in the spring of 1975 at Memorial Hall in Melrose. Since then, it
has become one of the area’s outstanding community musical organizations,
performing in various indoor venues from September through June and presenting
a number of free outdoor concerts during the summer months.Audience safety is especially
important to the band.  Therefore all active
members have shown proof of vaccination to perform.  In addition, audience members will be
required to wear masks during the performance. 
Although the event is free, spacing will be limited to account for social
distancing and tickets will be required. 

To reserve tickets and for more information about the concert, please go
to www.mcbconcertband.org.

Sunday, October 3, 2021 in Wakefield. 

The History of Music – a Musical Journey Through Time

Wakefield, MA – Children who learn music at an early age have been shown to perform better in most other areas of development. Hoping to help ignite that creative spark in our local youth, the Middlesex Concert Band presents its annual children’s concert on Sunday, October 3, 2021 outdoors at the Dolbeare Elementary School Athletic Fields. The rain date for this concert is Sunday, October 17 at the same location.

Each year, this free concert, which is geared toward children four to nine years of age, focuses on a different aspect of music—demonstrating for the audience how tempos, rhythms, instruments, etc. are combined to bring a composer’s vision to life. This year’s theme is A History of Music, exploring people who have inspired or composed the most important pieces over the years. Music spans a time period from 1560 to 2010. Music selected for each time period represents musicality from that period.

Music Director Mark Olson has put together a thoughtful program that will stir the imagination of listeners of all ages. The concert will explore a brief history of music composed and arranged for the wind band. We will be featuring works composed for the military band in the early 1900’s such as Ralph Vaughan Williams Folk Song Suite, as well as music composed for other instruments and transcribed for the wind band such as the William Byrd Suite by Gordon Jacob and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G minor. The Shaker tune Simple Gifts has been a popular tune in American history and has been used by many composers. We will perform an arrangement of that tune composed by John Zedeclik. We will also feature music that was popular in movies and pay tribute to one of history’s great jazz composers, Duke Ellington. And, as we always do at our children’s concert, we will play the famous Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa.

The setting of this concert, presented in the athletic fields of Dolbeare Elementary School, puts the children on the same level as the band where they can get a unique, up-close perspective. Children may play in the field while the band is playing. 

Halfway through the program, the children will be invited to participate in a parade of flags, which gives them a chance to burn off a little energy while they march around the band to the well-known strains of the “Stars and Stripes Forever” march. Continuing a popular tradition, one lucky child from the audience will win the honor of conducting the band during this march.

Children are also invited to stay after the music stops to visit with the musicians for a question-and-answer session, where everyone can further investigate the various instruments of the band. Due to recent developments regarding Covid, we wanted you to know that all members are fully vaccinated and will not be having an instrument “petting zoo” at this time.

The Middlesex Concert Band is a nonprofit community band based in Wakefield, Massachusetts that regularly performs concerts in Wakefield and surrounding communities, striving to bring affordable entertainment to all. Originally founded in the 1950s is a marching band, the group later evolved into a concert band which gave its first performance in the spring of 1975 at Memorial Hall in Melrose. Since then, it has become one of the area’s outstanding community musical organizations, performing in various indoor venues from September through June and presenting a number of free outdoor concerts during the summer months.

A History of Music —A Free Children’s Concert, takes place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 3, 2021 at the Dolbeare Elementary School Athletic fields, with a rain date of October 17th. Funding for this concert is provided in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as administered locally by the Wakefield Arts Council. For more information about the Middlesex Concert Band, go to www.mcbconcertband.org.

November 21^st, 2019

Letter to the Wakefield Daily Item Editor

The Middlesex Concert Band launched a new fundraiser this fall to sell pumpkin pies that were graciously prepared by The Farmland. Buyers could also buy a pie for the Wakefield Food Pantry’s annual Thanksgiving dinner distribution. Thank you to the MCB family, friends, and supporters who donated 24 of the 10-inch gourmet pies to Wakefield families! We look forward to beating that mark in years to come.

The MCB is also thankful to the West Side Social Club 4^th of July Committee and its Chair, Carol Hubbard, in particular. Together, we debuted a new event at Moulton Park that we hope becomes an annual Wakefield family fall favorite. The combination of the band’s Free Children’s Concert and Instrument Petting Zoo with the 4^th of July Committee’s pumpkin carving contest and food was a hit! Be on the lookout for Pumpkin Fest 2020 next October.  Thank you to the Wakefield Cultural Council for sponsoring this year’s success.

This season, the MCB is also thankful to hear that the First Baptist Church, where we used to rehearse, will be rebuilding. We are thankful for the outpouring of support to our Fire Relief Fund last year that allowed the band to replace percussion equipment lost in the fire. This year, we are thankful for the ability to return to the MCB’s mission of expanding our musical reach and keeping up with just the normal bills of operating the band. If you can help make that happen, be among the donors and business sponsors thankful to have the Middlesex Concert Band in the community.  We’ll thank you!

Our regular concert season is upon us and we hope that you can join us at one of these performances in the Galvin Auditorium:

• Sat. Dec 14^th at 3pm (Carols & Cookies)
• Sat. Mar 14^th at 7pm (From Sea to Shining Sea)
• Sun. May 31^st at 3pm (Spring Into Summer)

Tickets are available on our website at mcbconcertband.org. New this season: Volunteers can earn tickets for their family (limit 10 volunteers per concert). Contact lockjp@mcbconcertband.org for details.

Happy Thanksgiving!

John Lock, Wakefield
President, Middlesex Concert Band

On behalf of the Middlesex Concert Band, I’d like to offer our sincerest condolences to our friends at the First Baptist Church. It is such a blessing that no one was seriously hurt in Tuesday night’s fire. For many years, the church has been a home to us where we rehearse on a weekly basis. We encourage everyone to donate what they can to help the First Baptist Church, which has been such an important part of the Wakefield community.

The Middlesex Concert Band is so grateful for the support of Tom Bankert, Band Director at Wakefield High School and Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the district. He has made space temporarily available so that we can maintain our 2018 rehearsal schedule as we prepare for this year’s holiday concert on December 2nd. Access to a band room for rehearsal is critical since most of our percussion equipment was lost in the fire and will take time to replace.

To contribute to the Middlesex Concert Band’s Fire Recovery Fund, visit our website at mcbconcertband.org. The funds raised will be used to replace thousands of dollars in percussion equipment and to find a new home while our friends at the church rebuild. Our website also has a link for the First Baptist Church whose needs are much greater than ours
after Tuesday’s devastating loss.

John Lock
President, Middlesex Concert Band

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chris Kerr September 18, 2017 617-596-5626 press@mcbconcertband.org

Middlesex Concert Band Presents Free Children’s Concert on Sunday, October 1, 2017 in Wakefield. The People of Music—A Musical Celebration for Kids Exploring the People Who Shape the Music We Listen To

Wakefield, MA – Children who learn music at an early age have been shown to perform better in most other areas of development. Hoping to help ignite that creative spark in our local youth, the Middlesex Concert Band presents its annual children’s concert on Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the Americal Civic Center in Wakefield, 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Each year, this free concert, which is geared toward children four to nine years of age, focuses on a different aspect of music—demonstrating for the audience how tempos, rhythms, instruments, etc. are combined to bring a composer’s vision to life. This year’s theme is The People of Music, exploring people who have inspired or composed the most important pieces over the years.

Music Director Mark Olson has put together a thoughtful program that will stir the imagination of listeners of all ages. It opens with George Gershwin’s march, “Strike up the Band,” which he wrote for Broadway, but instead became popularized as a university fight song. Next up will be Malcolm Arnold’s “Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo.” Malcolm’s music provides the backdrop for over 100 films and documentaries. The program continues with Edward Elgar’s “Nimrod,” the best known variation from Elgar’s masterpiece, “The Enigma Variations.”

Grainger’s “Molly on the Shore” and Charles Ive’s “Variations on America” will be recognizable to ears of all ages. The tempo then slows down momentarily for the opening of William Schuman’s rendition of “Chester,” which is a tune that has been popular in America since colonial times. Next, Ted Rickett’s “Satchmo” will bring Louis Armstrong back to life with excerpts from “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “What a Wonderful World,” and other favorites. The concert will close with a collection of playful motifs and warm melodies by Frank Ticheli, a prolific composer who continues to write new favorites today.

The unique setting of this concert, presented in the gymnasium of the Americal Civic Center, puts the children on the same level as the band where they can get a unique, up-close perspective. A large section of the floor is covered with craft paper, with pillows and crayons, where kids can stretch out color while listening to the music. Each child will receive a souvenir coloring book based on the themes of the concert.

Halfway through the program, the children will be invited to participate in a parade of flags, which gives them a chance to burn off a little energy while they march around the gym to the well-known strains of the “Stars and Stripes Forever” march. Continuing a popular tradition, one lucky child from the audience will win the honor of conducting the band during this march.

Children are also invited to stay after the music stops to visit with the musicians as they set up an instrument “petting zoo” around the sides of the gym, where everyone can get a hands-on experience with the instruments of the band.

The Middlesex Concert Band is a nonprofit community band based in Wakefield, Massachusetts that regularly performs concerts in Wakefield and surrounding communities, striving to bring affordable entertainment to all. Originally founded in the 1950s as a marching band, the group later evolved into a concert band which gave its first performance in the spring of 1975 at Memorial Hall in Melrose. Since then, it has become one of the area’s outstanding community musical organizations, performing in various indoor venues from September through June and presenting a number of free outdoor concerts during the summer months.

The People of Music—A Free Children’s Concert, takes place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the Americal Civic Center, 467 Main Street, Wakefield, MA. Funding for this concert is provided in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as administered locally by the Wakefield Cultural Council. For more information about the Middlesex Concert Band, go to www.mcbconcertband.org.

Middlesex Concert Band
A NONPROFIT 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATION
Federal ID No. 04-3400235
www.MCBconcertband.org
Mark E. Olson MUSIC DIRECTOR director@MCBconcertband.org
John Lock PRESIDENT president@MCBconcertband.org
P. O. Box 128 Wakefield, MA 01880
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