Southshore Concert Band Takes the Stage April 10
Buchanan, MI – March 30, 2022
Submitted by Jan Street, Public Relations Chairperson, Southshore Concert Band
Southshore Concert Band will take the stage at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center on Sunday, April 10 at 2:00 p.m. to present their thirtieth anniversary concert “For the JOY of MUSIC: 30 Years.”
This program will include a variety of musical selections including the rhythmic and spirited piece entitled “Joy” by Robert Curiale, “How to Train Your Dragon” arranged by Sean O’Loughlin and “A Scottish Rhapsody” by Clare Grundman. Tuba soloist Karl Andrews and vocalist Michael Vanden Tak will perform the entertaining “When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba” by Herman Hupfeld.
The concert will feature guest conductor and charter member of the band, Michael Hoge, who leads the band in playing the melodic “Mountain Thyme” by Samuel Hazo and guest conductor Daniel Lopez, Director of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble at Lake Michigan College, who conducts John Philip Sousa’s “Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.”
Other highlights of the program include “Hit Tunes From 10 Decades of the 20th Century,” a medley of familiar melodies arranged by Jerry Lackey and Rich Bressler, both of whom are musicians with local ties, and a composition entitled “Safe Harbor” by Robert Longfield, commissioned by the band for its twenty-fifth anniversary concert.
Southshore Concert Band, the eighty-member band founded by Conductor Dale L. Reuss, continues to provide free concerts in pursuit of their mission of “performing for the joy of music.”
About The Southshore Concert Band: The Southshore Concert Band was formed in 1992 to provide an opportunity for Berrien County adults to use their musical skills formed in high school and college on a volunteer basis for personal enjoyment. The band membership has grown over the years to include members from northern Indiana as well as other southwest Michigan counties. Membership includes a broad range of professional careers- retired band teachers, current teachers, engineers, accountants, social workers, computer consultants -all playing together to share their common passion for music.
The band provides free concerts at various locations in southwest Michigan during the year. Regular concerts include Winter and Spring concerts at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center. Additional concerts such as a Halloween Concert, Veteran’s Day Lest We Forget Concert, a collaborative concert with the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomie, and a Pops Concert add wide variety to our seasons. A “Big Band” was also created from members of the Southshore Concert Band to showcase sounds from a great musical time period. Annual summer concerts are played in local community parks and band shells.
The band has traveled to Boston and Washington D.C. to participate in the National Festival of the States concert series. It allowed the band to experience new performance venues and share a little bit of southwest Michigan with other parts of the country.
The Southshore Concert Band was founded and is conducted by Dale Reuss. The band has a membership of approximately 75 adults. Rehearsals are at Lake Michigan College every Thursday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. during the regular season (except holidays). We welcome new members! If you are interested in joining, please email Dale Reuss at southshoreconcertband@gmail.com. A brief audition will be required.
The organization achieved 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation status in February, 1999. The band relies on member’s dues, grants and public donations to fund its activities. The organization receives no public funds.
The Buchanan Chronicle 