Negaunee City Band to play first summer concert

NEGAUNEE — The Negaunee City Band plays the first of nine free summer concerts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening June 10, at the Performing Arts Center at the east end of Iron Street. Some seating is available, but attendees may wish to bring their own chairs.

Director Lucas Wickstrom has chosen to open the program with “The Invincible Eagle” by John Philip Sousa, who called this one of his “sunshine marches, which shows the military spirit at its lightest and brightest.”

A highlight of the evening will be “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the blockbuster hit that brings all the swashbuckling excitement of the high seas. Titles in this medley include “The Medallion Calls,” “The Black Pearl,” “To the Pirate Caves,” “One Last Shot” and “He’s a Pirate.”

Several numbers that begin with lyrical moments leading to engaging rhythms, energetic melodies, and bombastic percussion are “Again We Rise” by John Pasternak and “Choose Joy” by Randall D. Standridge, with the latter including hints of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” to create a message of positivity.

Trumpets are featured in “Salute to a Hero,” a sparkling piece featuring a brilliant brass fanfare. “A Galop to End All Galops” emphasizes a fast tempo and has impressive-sounding passages for almost every instrument.

A number that audiences will easily recognize is “Joshua (Fit the Battle of Jericho), an African-American spiritual. “Tango for Band” was composed by Glenn Osser, nationally known arranger and conductor who was born and raised in Munising.

The program will conclude with the traditional “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” with its popular Dixieland-style arrangement.