Wheaton Municipal Band Performs Thursday in Memorial Park

Submitted content 

Dr. Bruce Moss celebrates 35 years as Music Director of the Wheaton Municipal Band on Thursday, July 31 at 8:00 p.m. in Memorial Park. The concert includes audience-selected favorites and musical connections that Dr. Moss has carefully chosen to commemorate his many years with the band. The featured soloist for the evening is Chicago Symphony Orchestra trumpeter John Hagstrom.

Dr. Moss isn’t the only one celebrating a major anniversary this year. Al Loek, (trombone) has been with the band for 50 years. “The band keeps getting better,” said Loek. Other anniversaries include Mike Thorsen (French horn) 40 years, Sean Gaertner (contra bass clarinet) 32 years, Carol Kiezyk (clarinet) 31 years, Sue Lin Chao, (clarinet) 30 years and Daryl Beese (bass clarinet) 30 years.

“We’ve all grown together,” said Dr. Moss. “The group continues to improve. It serves its purpose in so many ways….for the community, for the suburbs, for the players, for the conductor and announcer, and for community bands as a model as well. All of these factions combine to bring it to what it is and to make it so successful”.

Recalling some of the high points of the past 35 years, Moss said, “One most certainly was the 1991 filming of the PBS American Experience episode, IF YOU KNEW SOUSA, narrated by Charles Kuralt.

“William Warfield performed with us in the early 80’s”, Moss reminisced. “A performance at Grant Park in 1998 was terrific, as well as the 2012 performance at the Midwest International Clinic in Chicago. We performed at an Adult Band Conference at Northwestern University 30 years ago this summer. We’ve made recordings, commissioned works, and have continued to be a role model for groups of our type, all with great work and support of the Mayor, Commission, Band Board, and Friends of the Band.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra trumpeter John Hagstrom will perform several selections with the band, including Leroy Anderson’s “Trumpeter’s Lullaby” on a trumpet once owned by the great CSO musician Adolph “Bud” Herseth. Hagstrom was a student of Dr. Moss at York high school in the early 1980’s, and has appeared many times with the WMB over the years.