The Arts in the Parks are getting comfortable in their location at the Scandinavian Heritage Park, with the Minot City Band performing today at 7 p.m. and the JMB Band playing Sunday at 4 and 7 p.m.
Minot City Band
Today, 7 p.m.
Article Photos
Terry J. Aman/MDN - - Minot City Band director Jerry Spitzer conducts the group’s June 12 performance, opening the 2011 Arts in the Parks summer concert series, and marking one of the last shows before record flooding on the Souris River shut down the performance space at Oak Park.
Scandinavian Heritage Park
The Sousa-themed concert by the Minot City Band caps off a short season for the group.
"This is our final show of the season," said director Jerry Spitzer. "We didn't get to do a full season, of course. But we did play June 12 in Oak Park, then at Manor Care and Edgewood Vista and a couple of other places."
"Because we missed the patriotic concert, we're combining that with our usual Sousa concert for (tonight)," he said.
The program includes some Sousa marches, patriotic numbers and some pop songs.
"We're doing the 'Big Band Cavalcade' and 'American Trilogy,' " Spitzer said. "Joe Alme is directing that one. We have Sousa's 'Humoresque on Suwanee' with some special effects, and some members of the Chamber Chorale will be singing the vocals on 'God Bless the USA.' "
The entire season has been dedicated to the late Minot musician and Arts in the Parks emcee Hardy Lieberg. The band is also dedicating one song in particular to the first responders of Minot, firefighters and police, brothers to those who lost their lives in New York, with "September," written about the Sept. 11 Attacks. Spitzer said it is the last chance the group will have to do so before the 10th anniversary this year.
"It's difficult to play," Spitzer said. "It's the mood the composer felt in 2001 when it happened."
JMB Band
Sunday, 4 and 7 p.m.
Scandinavian Heritage Park
On Sunday, the JMB Band will perform in the same venue. Members Jerry Schlag, Myron Dammen and Merlyn "Bud" Witty have released several CDs and performed throughout Minot over the years.
The three musicians are all members of the Dakota Music Hall of Fame and perform polkas, waltzes and other old favorites, generally with a Scandinavian flavor, suitable to the locale.
There is no charge for any of the performances. Freewill donations support the Arts in the Parks concert series. In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be canceled.