AVB Community Band to host March concert

The AVB Community Band invites the community to enjoy an evening of nostalgia when it takes the stage of the Ashwaubenon Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Monday, March 16, at 7 p.m. for a concert titled “Come Together ... Echoes of Time.”

Doors to the Ashwaubenon PAC, 2391 S. Ridge Road in Ashwaubenon, open at 6 P.m. Admission to the concert is at no charge, with donations graciously accepted following the concert.

Perfect for family and friends of all ages, the AVB (All-Volunteer) Community Band’s March concert is sponsored by Schroeder’s Flowers.

The evening of music is also made possible because of ongoing, sustaining AVB Community Band Donors who are recognized in each concert program, along with advertisers and audience members who support the band with their donations at each concert.

The AVB also thanks the many recent donors who supported them during the

“Give Big Green Bay” community fundraiser Feb. 25-26.

“The music this evening reflects American history, nostalgia and the passage of time,” said Mike Ajango, director of the 80-member AVB Community Band. “We invite you to bring some new friends to the concert, then sit back and relax as we take a musical journey through the decades,” he said.

The associate conductor of the AVB Community Band is Paul Oleksy. The narrator for the evening is Bruce Deadman.

The concert begins with Aaron Copland’s inspiring “Fanfare for the Common Man,” written in 1943. He composed the piece as a patriotic musical tribute honoring the heroism of everyday working-class people during World War II.
“Themes Like Old Times,” arranged by Warren Barker, takes us back over 100 years and includes “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Peg O’ My Heart,” “I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad),” “By The Light Of The Silvery Moon” and “Twelfth Street Rag.”

Next is “Earth Song,” composed by Frank Ticheli, it speaks to the healing power of music in this beautifully expressive piece.

“Stephen Foster Revisited” features classic American folk songs, including “Old Folks at Home,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Oh! Susanna,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Camptown Races.”

Foster was born on July 4, 1826, in what is now Pittsburgh, Pa. Though he lived only 37 years, he became known as America’s first great composer.

The first half of the concert closes out with “Satchmo (A Tribute to Louis Armstrong),” arranged by Ted Ricketts. It features four iconic Armstrong songs: “What a Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “St. Louis Blues” and “Hello, Dolly!”

The second half begins with “Rails West! (A Tale of the Odessa Puddle Jumper)” by Michael Story, which musically depicts the journey of the “Puddle Jumper” train that served the communities of western Missouri during the railroad expansion across the country.

The AVB will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by performing “Chester,” written by Boston composer William Billings.

Originally published in 1770 and revised in 1778, it was a wildly popular anthem during the American Revolution.

“This (‘Chester’) is the original in all of its glory,” Ajango said, “a granddaddy of concert band literature.”

The impressionist band piece “Circles,” by composer Brian Balmages, was first published in 2024.

One of Ajango’s favorite composers, Balmages’ goal with “Circles” is to create a sensory experience through music.

Next up is “The Golden Age of Broadway,” with selections from some of the famed musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein, including ”South Pacific,” “Carousel,” “The King and I,” “Oklahoma” and “The Sound of Music.” All debuted on Broadway between 1943 and 1959.

The concert concludes with the rousing and moving “Red, White & Brass,” a medley of American favorites originally arranged for The Canadian Brass. Selections include “American Patrol,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Simple Gifts (From ‘Shaker Suite’)” and “Home on the Range.”