Under the direction of its new Music Director, Dr. Evan Chancellor, the Fond du Lac Symphonic Band will open its summer concert season on Wednesday, June 21, with a gala 125th Anniversary Concert. First organized as the Fond du Lac Military Band on May 27, 1898, the band has been performing free outdoor concerts for the public ever since. The performance will take place in the Wifler Performance Center in Buttermilk Creek Park, 801 S. .Park Avenue, beginning at 7:15 p.m.
With Announcer Steve Peterson to narrate a trip down memory lane, the program will feature selections from various eras in the band’s history. Vocalist Deb Fett will sing the timeless songs made famous by Judy Garland, while Jess Schrage will be featured singing the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Both singers have sung with the band in the past, and are well-known throughout the area. Fett has been featured in numerous Fond du Lac Community Theatre productions, while Schrage has been involved for many years with the summer musical revues in Mt. Calvary and Elkhart Lake.
Two long-time members of the band will be instrumental soloists. The band’s principal flutist, Joan Perry, will perform the “Overture” from the Teleman Suite in A Minor. Former Business Manager Mary Arthur will be featured on piccolo in an early 20th century novelty piece, The Whistler and His Dog.
Other selections include Light Cavalry Overture, Themes Like Old Times, Glenn Miller in Concert, Pickles and Peppers Rag, Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite March, and Sousa’s Stars & Stripes Forever.
Next up in the Wednesday night series is the popular European ethnic band, Dorf Kapelle on June 28, followed by the Symphonic Band’s traditional Americana Concert at Lakeside Park on the 4th of July. (There will be no concert at Buttermilk Creek Park on July 5.)
The concession stand will be hosted by Fondy Jump Rope Team, offering sandwiches, desserts and beverages beginning at 6:15 p.m. In the event of unsuitable weather, the concert will be moved to the Fond du Lac County fairgrounds.
While all Buttermilk Festival concerts are free of charge, free-will offerings are received to help defray costs.