MORGANTOWN, W.Va. This Fourth of July, the Morgantown Municipal Band will perform their 33rd annual concert on the lawn of the Canady Creative Arts Center. On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” conductor C. B. Wilson said the 40-piece group will gather for their one and only rehearsal Monday to be prepared for the event.
“The first concert in this series was in 1990, so this is the 33rd anniversary of that program,” Wilson said. “Aside from the two years we missed because of COVID, we’ve been consistent for that many years.”
Each year, the theme of the concert is kept secret until the band strikes the first note. But the show is dedicated to the memory of former College of Creative Arts Dean Phil Faini.
“The hint is, as I mentioned minutes ago, that this is the 33rd anniversary of that concert in 1990, and the theme will relate to what I just said,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the work of John Phillip Sousa will be the centerpiece of the performance.
“We’re actually doing three Sousa marches this year,” Wilson said. “Including a march called “The Thunderer,” which was Mrs. Sousa’s favorite march.”
Sousa was known as the “American March King” to distinguish himself from similar composers from England. He and his band toured extensively in the United States and Europe and served as the “President’s Own Band” for five U.S. presidents.
“He became a fixture in the concert band world, and he wrote over 160 marches, so that record precedes him,” Wilson said.
The program begins at 11 a.m., and parking is available in the College of Creative Arts parking lot.
“We’ll be outside, so they’ll need to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on or something like that,” Wilson said. “There is shade, but they might want to use sunscreen just in case.”