Above / Thursday Evening Summer Concerts in Central Park create the perfect setting for picnics with family, friends and neighbors. This week celebrate songs selected and directed by assistant conductor René R. Rosas during the performance beginning at 7:30PM.
Update, July 26, 2019 / Whatever will be, will be, and the appreciative audience in Central Park on July 25 provided enthusiastic applause for what was! Thirteen musical selections conducted by Assistant NMB Conductor René R. Rosas took the audience on a trip down Memory Lane, providing a sentimental sense of the joyful and loyal friendships developed by band members for decades.
Rosas paid tribute to the late Robert Hoffman, composer of the Ellsworth School Song featured on the program. Hoffman played the trumpet for 56 years with the Naperville Municipal Band. Rosas also remembered his mother and her favorite actress, Doris Day, when the band played Que Sera, Sera.
Legendary pop and rock songs featured favorites from The Mamas and The Papas, a folk rock and psychedelic pop vocal group from the late 1960s. Thanks for the memories, Naperville Municipal Band!
Note: PN’s photographer is on vacation, cycling through southern Iowa with 20,000 bike riders with RAGBRAI. The weekly NMB Galley of Photos will return next week.
Strike up a tradition in Central Park!
Before radio, before TV, before smart phones, before streaming live…
The Naperville Municipal Band (under a variety of “community band” names) had been performing live in Central Park since 1859!
And so it goes. During this 160th anniversary year, the band continues to play on and on this summer under the longtime leadership of Music Director and Conductor Ron Keller since 1966 and narration by Ann (Good) Lord since 1958, with a little help in recent years from assistant conductors René R. Rosas and Emily Binder, and Naperville Big Band Director Tracy Oliver. And to help celebrate this monumental year, several guest conductors have held the batons, too.
This week’s concert titled “René’s Conducting” is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown and the 23rd Annual Naperville Rotary Ride. The Bake Sale in the Gazebo will be hosted by Friends of Lizzy’s Fund.
If you’ve never attended a summer NMB concert in Central Park, note to pick up a printed program at the info table on the south side of the park. Every week, 1,000 programs are numbered for the raffle with prizes provided by a different sponsor.
So… Pack a picnic basket. Buy a box lunch at one of downtown Naperville’s many eateries. Bring a little cash for the special treats, soft drinks and coffee at the Gazebo. Come with collapsible chairs. Spread a blanket on the lawn. Or sit on park benches…
Be ready when the huge stage door featuring the Century Walk mural of the “Great Concerto” goes up promptly at 7:30PM every Thursday through Aug. 15.
And join the crowd to enjoy the 90-minute concerts, often accompanied by a beautiful sunset, with a musical theme focused on familiar songs and popular marches.
On with the show at 7:30PM Thursdays thru Aug. 15!
August 1 – “Back in the Saddle”
Raffle Sponsor: Ellman’s Music Center / Bake Sale: Naperville Area Humane Society
August 8 – “So Long For A While” (Led by NMB Conductor & Music Director Ron Keller)
Raffle Sponsor: Naperville Bank and Trust / Bake Sale: League of Women Voters
August 15 – Joint Big Band Concert (Led by Naperville Big Band Director Tracy Oliver)
Raffle Sponsor: NMB / Bake Sale: Cross of Christ Fellowship
All performances are free and open to the public. Stage door goes up at 7:30PM.
