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Concert in the Park series runs Tuesdays July 4 to 25 and Aug. 1

By Dundas Star News

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Dundas Concert Band celebrates its 175th anniversary year with the first of five Concert in the Park performances July 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Dundas Driving Park.

Performances continue each Tuesday, weather permitting, on July 11, 18 and 25, and Aug. 1, continuing a tradition of concerts in the park going back to 1958.

In 1848 the band was known as the Dundas Citizens’ Band and the current name was adopted in 1923. The July 4 Concert in the Park summer series opener will recognize the band’s 175 years.

Musical Director William Rolfe took on the task of selecting arrangements representing Dundas Concert Band’s history, legacy and diversity of musical genres. Rolfe assembled a summer series including pieces from the earliest days of the band and its association with local military regiments.

Many early members of the Dundas Citizens Band also played in The Wentworth Regiment, formed in Dundas in 1872. It was originally the 77th Wentworth Battalion and Infantry. This year’s summer series celebrates that connection.

Featured is Pentland Hills, a march medley of traditional Scottish Airs such as “The Lass O’ Gowrie,” “John Anderson,” “My Jo’ ” and “The Rowan Tree.” “The Lass O’ Gowrie” was the Regimental March of the Wentworth Regiment.

Also included are medleys of familiar works by Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

The Dundas Concert Band looks forward to the Dundas Pipes and Drums joining them at the July 11 concert.

At the July 25 concert the band’s guests will be Leo Johnson West African Djembe Drummers. Johnson has, for many years, been teaching authentic African call/answer, and songs specific to Liberia on djembe drums.

Dundas Concert Band drummer Chris Wilson gets an opportunity to play his conga drums in an interesting arrangement by Naohiro Iwai called “Jungle Fantasy.” Wilson also plays his congas in “Encanto” which was just purchased by the band as a special feature for this concert season.

“Encanto” was released by Disney in 2021 and tells the story of a family living in Columbia, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. This collection includes “The Family Madrigal,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure.” This Disney medley concludes with “Waiting On A Miracle.”

There is music from several other Disney movies presented in a blockbuster arrangement called “Disney At The Movies.” The band will perform highlights from Disney’s animated musical drama version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Typically, DCB presents several medleys from movies and Broadway. This summer series is no different. Selections this summer include “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Cats,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Doors on Tour” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Younger members of the audience will enjoy medleys from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Incredibles” and for the video gamers in the crowd there is music from “Cuphead.”

The final concert is a family-oriented presentation sponsored by the Greensville Optimists on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Rain date is Aug. 8. Arrive by 7 p.m. and “Meet our Instruments.” You will get a chance to see, and hear, up close instruments band members play. Bring crayons and pencils for a family-friendly activity to help you listen for different sounds during the concert.

The band looks forward to the return of faithful audience regulars, but also hopes to see new faces in the crowd for the presentations in the Dundas Driving Park.

Follow the band at www.DundasConcertBand.com

Donations can be made in person, by mail, or by internet e-transfer using the email address info@dundasconcertband.com.

It’s almost here! The Dundas Concert Band will once again hold the “Concerts in the Park”, starting Tuesday, July 4th at 7:30pm in the Dundas Driving Park. Bring a lawn chair, and come out to enjoy the music. For more information, go to the ‘Current Season’ tab under Concerts in the main headings. If a concert is cancelled due to weather, an announcement will be made on this website.

New to the Dundas Concert Band, we can now accept e-transfers! No security question is required, as we have auto-deposit. If you would like to make a donation to the band, simply make an internet e-transfer to: info@dundasconcertband.com Be sure to put your name and address in the “Message” box so that we can issue a tax receipt.

A brass quintet from the Dundas Concert Band performed at the “Made In Dundas” event at the Dundas Museum on Saturday, May 27th. Below are some pictures and videos of the event. This was a very well attended event, and our quintet sounded great!

The House of Providence at St. Joseph’s Villa is bringing back it’s picnic, and the Dundas Concert Band will be performing at it. Click the link to find more information about the long-standing picnic. https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/flashbacks-hamilton/2023/04/18/st-josephs-villa-in-dundas-reprises-community-picnic.html

               This year, the Dundas Concert Band will be celebrating its 175^th Birthday! Started in 1848, the band has had a few name changes, but has run for 175 years, making it the oldest band in Canada. We hope you will join us for our birthday celebration at our July 4^th concert, 7:30 p.m. at the Dundas Driving Park.

               Do you have a favourite song, or composer? The Dundas Concert Band has several music charts, covering a wide range of genres and time periods. If you have a song or composer that you would like to hear, drop us an e-mail at info@dundasconcertband.com or leave a message on our phone service at (905) 523-9500. We would love to hear from you. We’ll see if we can accommodate your request at a future date. We pride ourselves in playing a wide variety of music, and appealing to audiences of all ages.

After a 2-year absence, due to the pandemic, the Dundas Concert Band is back!

During the spring of 2022, you may have heard the band practicing in the Dundas Driving Park on Tuesday nights. This was to prepare for our Summer Concert Series, and yes, we were able to perform there during July and August in 2022! What a welcome sight to see our audience return!  As usual, it was a very appreciative audience! Also, a quintet from the DCB played at the Dundas Museum in May, 2022 for the Made in Dundas Family Festival.

A group of about 20 DCB musicians performed at the Remembrance Day service in Gore Park, and then we played at the Christmas Tree lighting in Dundas. On December 18th, 2022, we held our annual Christmas concert. This was a great concert, with many familiar Christmas songs, as well as several new music charts, purchased with donations from our generous donors.

We love to perform for our audiences. We are now preparing many great tunes for the Summer Concert Series 2023. Hope to see you on Tuesday nights, beginning July 4^th at 7:30 p.m. at the Dundas Driving Park.

The new Dundas Concert Band website is live. We are still working on it to bring you the latest information and news of the band. The band is excited about its future and hope you will visit it often. If you have any comments or suggestions for the website, we’d love to hear from you at info@dundasconcertband.com. We hope to see everyone at all our upcoming concerts!