An evening of fun and musical enjoyment is promised for Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. when The Blawenburg Band performs its gala 112th anniversary concert in the Montgomery High School Auditorium.
The free concert will feature crowd-pleasing musical favorites and honor the centenary of the birth of American composer Richard Rogers with selections from "South Pacific," his 1949 musical.
The concert will feature the artistry of Leslie Godfrey of Ewing, oboist, who has made four appearances in Carnegie Hall. A special musical treat will be the guest appearance of Loras Schissel, founder and conductor of Washington’s Virginia Grand Military Band.
A Dixieland session and refreshments will follow the concert.
The Blawenburg Band is conducted by Dr. Jerry Rife, professor of music at Rider University.
No longer a small-town band, the 60-member ensemble has become a polished musical organization, performing more than 30 concerts a year.
Since its beginning in the early days of the community, the band has provided the music that is essential to any civic celebration or gathering. For more than a century of church socials, parades, picnics and town concerts, Blawenburg’s talented and dedicated musicians have provided the entertainment. Much of the band’s work today involves appearances at nursing homes, veterans hospitals and retirement communities.
The band has performed at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium and in the parade honoring Princeton alumni who served in the military service. It has twice performed concerts in Washington, D.C., at the Ellipse in back of The White House.
