Keith Brion and his New Sousa Band, will open the 86th season of the Brown County Civic Music Association on Friday, October 5, with a concert commemorating the life and times of John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), the composer and conductor known as the March King. In the tradition of Sousa’s band concerts, the program will include a mixture of light classics, novelties, and instrumental and vocal solos along with well-known Sousa marches. A note here: Sousa concerts were never all marches!
The musicians of the New Sousa Band are chosen for their ability to transmit the original excitement, style, spirit and ensemble sound of Sousa’s Band. They are selected nationally from major orchestras, military bands, university faculties and freelance musicians. The band wears authentic replicas of the original Sousa Band uniforms. The New Sousa Band has adopted many of the original period instruments including saxophones from the 1920’s, cornets, smaller trombones and baritone horns, the upright bell sousaphones (designed for Sousa) and a period snare drum.
Keith Brion, former Director of Bands at Yale University, maintains an active career as an orchestra conductor and is currently recording the complete band music of Sousa. Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, composed in 1896, is the official National March. [Sousa’s band performed in Green Bay six times between 1898 and 1928.]
Concert Information
Concerts begin at 7:30 pm in the Ralph Holter Auditorium at Green Bay West High. Auditorium doors open at 7:00. All concerts are open seating. Tickets are available for this concert as well as for the five-concert season online, by mail, or at the door. Tickets for the Sousa concert: $25 adults, $10 students (kindergarten through college). Tickets for the 5-concert series: $80 adults, $25 students. All tickets purchased less than two weeks prior to the first concert will be held at “Will call” in the lobby. For more info, call the Civic Music office at 338-1801.
The complete bio of Keith Brion, the vocal soloist, and the entire program to be performed can be found on the Brown County Civic Music website. Visit www.newsousaband.com for more information about the New Sousa Band and about John Philip Sousa.
