By Robert Fluss
Princeton, NJ
April 4, 2013
Blawenburg Band to Celebrate 123rd Year
The Blawenburg Band will commemorate its 123rd Anniversary year with a free gala concert on May 12, 2013, at 3:00pm at the Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, NJ.
Founded in Blawenburg, New Jersey in 1890, the Blawenburg Band continues a great tradition that began when towns depended on their own people for live musical entertainment. The group is one of the oldest community bands in the state and among the most active. Conducted since 1985 by Dr. Jerry Rife, Professor of Music and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Rider University, the band performs 25 to 30 concerts a year throughout the area. They play at holiday parades, community celebrations, church socials, and at many senior centers and retirement homes. Some of the most popular and well attended concerts are the summer outdoor series in Hopewell, the annual concert at the Princeton Shopping Center and the Fourth of July celebration in Yardley, PA.
The anniversary concert program this year features a variety of works including a waltz overture, a dance, patriotic songs, and of course, several marches by John Philip Sousa, Karl King and others. Also featured will be a premier of an original piece composed by one of the members of the band.
The band has about 75 active members, ranging in age from their teens to their eighties. They are dedicated amateurs as well as musicians with formal musical training and professional experience. Members include teachers, business people, computer specialists, homemakers, medical professionals and active retirees. They all have in common a love and talent for playing their instrument and a desire to make music together.
The high school Performing Arts Center is located at 259 Pennington-Titusville Road in Pennington, NJ. Admission is free. Following the concert there will be a reception at the school with refreshments and live Dixieland music played by a small ensemble from the band.
Contact:
Robert D. Fluss
609 688-1352
Web site:
www.BlawenburgBand.Org
