Lafayette Citizens Band Home Page William D. Kisinger, Musical Director   Lafayette Citizens Band, 216 N. 4th Street, Suite 201, Lafayette, IN 47901 Phone: 765-423-BAND (2263), Email: band@lafayettecitizensband.org

Almost Home Delights Audience Along with LCB

   
Left: The audience at the pre-concert on Thursday, June 13.
Center: Boomer, the Singing Dog, from the Almost Home Humane Society.
Right: The Humane Society's Adopt-A-Pet program brought animals for adoption to the concert.

   
Left: Boomer lives up to his name and sings to a french horn accompaniment.
Center: Irena Schulz and Jeffrey Goodspeed perform at the pre-concert.
Right: Beth Purkhiser and Pam Nave join Irena and Jeffrey.

     
The clarinet, flute and euphonium sections of the band at the "Talk to the Animals".
(All photos by Kris Kazmierczak)

The Lafayette Citizens Band's concert on Thursday, June 13 was titled, "Talk to the Animals." The Almost Home Humane Society brought plenty of irresistible, adoptable animals in need of a loving home to this concert.

Beginning at six PM, vocalist Irena Schulz and pianist Jeffrey Goodspeed presented an hour-long pre-concert, accompanied at various times by Pam Nave and Beth Purkhiser of the LCB, along with Bill Browne and his rescue dog, "Boomer the Singing Dog."

There was merchandise for sale, and signed copies of "Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo," chronicling Snowball's remarkable journey from a relinquished bird in need of rescue by her bird sanctuary, to an internationally famous dancing cockatoo, studied by scientists and admired by millions around the world.

At 7:30, the Lafayette Citizens Band performed, beginning with the energetic "Esprit de Corps", based on the Marine Corps hymn. (At the bottom of this page there is a link to the LCB performing this piece in Long Center.) "Valdres March" by Johannes Hanssen was next, followed by Alfred Reed's "A Symphonic Prelude". Next was a piece by Leroy Anderson, titled "The Girl I Left Behind Me".

Playing off the concert's theme, "The Winged Stallion" by Rossano Galante and "A Whistler and His Dog" by Arthur Pryor came next in the program. At this point, the Humane Society's Irena Schulz came to the stage and sang George Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" with the band. The program rounded out with the old Dixieland tune "South Rampart Street Parade" arranged by Bob Haggart, and a piece commissioned by and premiered by the Lafayette Citizens Band in 1992, "Hoagy Carmichael in Concert" arranged by Warren Barker. (There is also a link at the bottom of this page to a video of the LCB performing this piece.) You can see the complete "Talk to the Animals" program here.

Thursday evening's concert (June 6) provided a special treat. Bill's Bones is a new trombone ensemble, led by LCB Musical Director Bill Kisinger, and they played from 6:30 to 7:15. Then at 7:30, the Lafayette Citizens Band took the steps at 7:30, featuring most of the music from the rained-out Memorial Day concert.

William Latham's "Proud Heritage" march started the program, followed by the energizing "Festive Overture" by Dmitri Shostakovich. Two recent American works for band were "An American Fanfare" (2009) by Rick Kirby, and a tribute to America's most famous female pilot, "Earhart: Sounds of Courage" (2012). See the Memorial Day writeup below to see how Amelia Earhart is part of Purdue's history.

The famous "National Emblem March" by E. E. Bagley was next, followed by a novelty number, "Fanfares, Mules and Roosters" by Jay Dawson. The LCB was joined by Bill's Bones for the next number, "Lassus Trombone" by Henry Fillmore. Selections from "Les Miserables" and the Carmen Dragon arrangement of "America the Beautiful" rounded out the concert. You can see the complete "American Heritage" program here.

LCB and High Schools Hold off the Rain

 
Left: The Lafayette Citizens Band audience at the High School Night Concert on May 30.
Right: Musical Director Bill Kisinger conducting the Lafayette Citizens Band.

 
Left: Don Petit, West Lafayette High School Band Director.
Right: The woodwind section of the LCB at the High School Night concert.

   
Left: Dan Peo, McCutcheon High School Band Director.
Center: Tom Barker, Jefferson High School Band Director.
Right: Jim Bertucci, Clinton Prairie High School Band Director.

 
Left: Steve Cotten, Harrison High School Band Director.
Right: The trombones and trumpets playing at the High School Night concert.
(All photos by Kris Kazmierczak)

On Thursday evening, May 30, the Lafayette Citizens Band continued a tradition started in the 1990s by Musical Director Bill Kisinger. High School Night brought together 30 of the community's outstanding high school band members, along with their directors, who sat and played alongside LCB members for our Thursday evening concert. Although the rain threatened, the combined LCB and high school band were able to play the concert. This year's players included:

      NAME                  INSTRUMENT     HIGH SCHOOL
      Mary Doty             Flute 1        McCutcheon
      Ana Carniero          Flute 2        Harrison
      Margaurite Rigginbach Oboe 1         Harrison
      Kevin Bowman          Clarinet 1     Jefferson
      Adam Welker           Clarinet 2     McCutcheon
      Colleen Couch         Clarinet 2     Harrison
      Grace Blackwell       Clarinet 2     Jefferson
      Ryan Kim              Clarinet 3     West Lafayette
      Vera Estaban          Clarinet 3     Jefferson
      Jacob Bertucci        Bass Clarinet  Jefferson
      Savannah Alexander    Bassoon 1      Harrison
      Nathan Schaeper       Bassoon 2      McCutcheon
      Hannah Zentner        Alto Sax 1     Harrison
      Bailey Hertweck       Alto Sax 1     West Lafayette
      Tess Farmer           Alto Sax 2     Jefferson
      Kyle Darlage          Alto Sax 2     McCutcheon
      Glen Robbins          Baritone Sax   Clinton Prairie
      Julia Bell            Cornet 1       West Lafayette
      Kyle Knepper          Cornet 1       Jefferson
      Josh Porat            Trumpet 1      Harrison
      Barbara Bright-Read   Horn 1         Harrison
      Steven Weiner         Horn 2         West Lafayette
      Kim Grammer           Horn 3         Jefferson
      Dan Kern              Trombone 1     Harrison
      Chamis Dougherty      Trombone 1     Jefferson
      Anuj Patel            Trombone 2     West Lafayette
      Russell Williams      Trombone 2     McCutcheon
      Chris Zhang           Trombone 3     West Lafayette
      Bailie Reynolds       Euphonium BC   McCutcheon
      Alex McGill           Tuba           McCutcheon

The band directors from these high schools took turns guest-conducting the band. Those directors include: Tom Barker (Jefferson HS), Steve Cotten (Harrison HS), Don Petit (West Lafayette HS), Dan Peo (McCutcheon HS), and Jim Bertucci (Clinton Prairie HS).

You can see the complete High School Night program here.

We'd also like to welcome our new photographer, Kris Kazmierczak, and thank her for the wonderful pictures of the High School Night concert above. Thanks, Kaz!

Concerts begin at 7:30 pm, but we suggest you arrive early, and bring a lawn chair! Concerts are free and open to the public, but food donations for Food Finders Food Bank and the Almost Home Humane Society will be accepted. See you Thursday!

The planned opening concert for the Lafayette Citizens Band's 2013 season has been canceled. Because the weather can change so quickly, we never cancel a concert ahead of time, but at 7:00 on Monday evening, it was raining, with the weather maps showing more storms on the way, so the concert was canceled.

However, you don't have to wait another week for a concert! Our High School Night concert is this Thursday, May 30, at 7:30 pm at Riehle Plaza. Students from several area high schools, and their directors, will sit alongside LCB members for this concert, and the directors will take turns conducting the band. See you then!

(Following is the write-up of the Memorial Day concert before it was canceled.

The Lafayette Citizens Band opens the 2013 concert season on Monday at 7:30 pm, with its traditional Memorial Day concert. This rousing, heart-stirring concert has everything to please Americans of all ages, and a few extras, as well. You can see the complete program here.

The concert begins with "Proud Heritage" by William Latham. Other purely-patriotic numbers include "An American Fanfare" by Rick Kirby, the "National Emblem March" by E. E. Bagley (using the tune of the "Star-Spangled Banner"), and the Carmen Dragon arrangment of "America, the Beautiful".

Of course, the band will perform the "Armed Forces Salute", during which veterans and current service members are invited to stand when their service song is played.

But there are a few new pieces and novelty numbers on the program, as well. "Earhart: Sounds of Courage" was published last year, the 75th anniversary of Amelia Earhart's last flight, an around-the-world flight that she never completed. Many local residents know that Amelia Earhart was a women's counselor at Purdue University and kept her airplane at the Purdue Airport. (The Purdue Libraries has an Amelia Earhart Collection on its website.) "Fanfares, Mules, & Roosters" is an interesting number from Nashville, Tennessee, featuring sounds of...well, what the title says.

And there are a few other showpiece numbers to round out the concert. Dmitri Shostakovich's "Festive Overture" stirs feelings of patriotic pride, even if it happened to be written in another country. Also, given the popularity of the long-running musical, the recent movie, and Susan Boyle's rise to stardom, selections from "Les Miserables" remind us of a revolution which shortly followed our own here in the US, albeit without as admirable results.

So, come down to Riehle Plaza, 2nd and Main Streets in downtown Lafayette. Free parking is available nearby. (Please note that the lot just north of Riehle Plaza, which used to be available for handicapped parking, is now for parking by permit only.) All concerts are free and open to the public, but we suggest you arrive early to get a good space to sit. Food donations for Food Finders Food Bank and the Almost Home Humane Society will be accepted. And, oh yes, bring your own lawn chair if you don't want to sit on the ground. See you on Memorial Day!

We are featuring some special events through the month of June. Bill Kisinger's trombone ensemble, "Bill's Bones" will be playing at 6:30 on June 6th. On June 13th, Irena Schulz, of "Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo" YouTube fame will be singing with us. That evening, the fun begins at 6 (the only time entertainment will begin before 6:30) with an animal talent show, and Almost Home Humane Society will be there with adoptable pets! The next week, June 20th, the clarinet group "Time 4 Reeds" is performing at 6:30, and the last week of June, the 27th, Pam Nave and her Peripatetic Percussionists will enthrall us with their mad drumming skills.

This season, we are accepting donations of food for Almost Home Humane Society and Food Finders of Lafayette at every concert. Please note we will NOT be collecting financial donations for either charity--just food or other appropriate items. As always, our concerts are free, but if you would like to do so, you can drop off items for either organization at any of our concerts and we will see that they get to the right place.

The 2013 concert season starts in just three weeks, with our Memorial Day concert at Riehle Plaza, beginning at 7:30 pm. Make your plans to come and join us!

And, fans, the 2013 Concert Schedule is ready! We look forward to seeing you again, too!

Mobile Users: Try us on your Smart Phone! If you have a smart phone with an Internet connection, try viewing our website on it! We have developed a mobile version of the LCB website, and it is much easier to read. Thanks to DudaMobile.com for making this free service available!

Here are three YouTube videos of the LCB.

These performances are from the LCB's 2010 season opening concert in Long Center on May 20, 2010. The excellent videography is by Kerry England, Hornkraft Productions.

"Hoagy Carmichael in Concert": This medley of Indiana composer Hoagy Carmichael's tunes was commissioned for the LCB's 150th anniversary concert in 1992 from Warren Barker, and premiered at that concert.

"Esprit de Corps":, by Robert Jager. This piece is a fantasy on the Marine Corps hymn.

"George Washington Bicentennial March": This John Philip Sousa march was written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth, and was the last march Sousa composed before his death in 1932.

Enjoy!