Patriots' Day Concert - Rain or Shine!

Patriots' Day Commemorative Concert

The Concord Band got its start as a marching unit in Concord’s Patriots’ Day Parade sixty years ago, and about ten years later became an all-concert ensemble. On Monday April 15, 2019, the Concord Band will celebrate its 60th Anniversary with a concert of commemorative and patriotic music. Music Director James O’Dell has selected a program especially for this occasion, memorializing Concord's rich culture and unique place in American history.

Middlesex Volunteers Fife & Drum
Concord Patriots' Day parade

The concert will be held on Patiots' Day at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden Street in Concord at 11:00 am. The concert is free and open to the public (donations appreciated), and we hope it will attract families and parade-goers at the conclusion of the annual parade. No reservations are required and seating is first come, first served. Audience members should be aware of the parking and traffic restrictions in Concord Center, with 51 Walden but a short walk from the parade route.

Captain David Brown's Company of Minute Men,
North Bridge, Concord, Minute Man NHP

The concert will open with a new fanfare, premiered at the Band’s 60th Anniversary winter concert in March, Emblazoned Joy by Roger Cichy. The Band will present a complete performance of its newest commission, Diamond Jubilee Suite by Andrew Boysen Jr., which received an enthusiastic standing ovation at its premiere. Gustav Holst was one of the first composers to write specifically for symphonic bands and his First Suite for Military Band is among the finest of his compositions. It is a much-loved classic for Band players as well as audiences. Another highlight of the concert will be Stephen Bulla’s North Bridge Portrait, also commissioned by the Concord Band in 1999. The piece honors and evokes April 19, 1775 including the Shot Heard Round the World, which is the focus of Concord's Patriots' Day commemoration.

The Concord Band has members from 40 communities including Concord and is supported by grants from the Concord and Bolton Cultural Councils.  The Band plays concerts during the summer on Thursday evenings at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard MA.

Spotlight: Jazz Vocalist John Stevens

Guest Artist John Stevens
Jazz Vocalist

When I was five I was introduced by my grandparents, Roy and Isobel Boller to the Great American Songbook and classic tunes of Dean Martin, Cole Porter, Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, and, of course, my all-time favorite vocalist Frank Sinatra. There was something special about Frank. He was so unique and smooth with his phrasing. No one can perform like the Chairman Of The Board.

I participated in school choruses and choirs from 3rd grade through my senior year of high school. NYSSMA adjudications, All County, Area All-State, and All State choirs were all an important part of my training. When I was 8, I began taking piano lessons. My grandmother even gave me her piano so that I could practice. I joined the Western New York Children’s Choir, Buffalo Choral Arts Society, and American Music Abroad Empire Tour, which gave me the opportunity to perform in such places as New Orleans, Hawaii, France, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Never having been out of the country, touring with these choirs was an amazing experience. Little did I know that it would be my first trip to New York City that would change my life forever.