The Maple Ridge Concert Band is back in business and will be performing their first concert since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The concert band started rehearsals again as soon as protocols were relaxed.
“We are not back to our original ensemble yet, but we have very dedicated musicians who have been working hard to get back to pre-COVID levels,” said director of the band Noreen Moss, adding that it is exciting for everybody because the band loves to get out in the community to play.
The free concert will be performed in Memorial Peace Park at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28.
It will be about an hour, explained Moss.
They will be playing music by Canadian composer Robert Buckley, who has conducted and arranged for major artists such as Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan, and Aerosmith.
The piece the band will be performing by Buckley is called Cathedral Grove, based on a park on Vancouver Island that contains some of the oldest and largest trees in the world.
They will also be performing a piece by composer Frank Tucheli called American Elegy.
“He writes very emotional music,” said Moss.
Tucheli wrote this piece after the tragedy at Columbine High School, a school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999, and took the lives of 12 students and one teacher in Columbine, Colorado. The piece is in honour of the survivors, explained Moss.
“In light of all these horrible things that have been happening, we thought it was a good time to bring this piece of music out again and play it because it’s a very moving piece,” she added.
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The June 28 concert will also feature a big band piece and a cartoon piece.
“There’s quite a variety. There’s a little bit of everything. It should be good,” Moss said.
In addition, Twilight Tuesdays will be starting again at 7:30 p.m. at the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park, on July 5 and will run every Tuesday evening until July 26. This event is also known as Pops in the Park because the band plays a repertoire of pop music.
“Stuff that people know,” said Moss. They will be playing songs like The Sound of Music, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, songs from a variety of musicals, ABBA,Spanish marches, music from Show Boat and other show tunes.
Moss is inviting the community to bring a lawn chair and enjoy an evening of live music.
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