November, 2021 - Maine POPS Concert Band

First of Two Maine Pops Christmas Benefit Concerts Slated for December 4 at Portland’s St. Luke’s Cathedral

The Maine Pops Concert Band will perform the first of two Christmas holiday benefit concerts on Saturday, December 4, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The band will perform "A Cathedral Holiday" at St. Luke’s Cathedral, located at 143 State Street in Portland. This in-person concert resumes the long-standing concert cooperation between St. Luke’s and the Maine Pops; an effort conducted as a virtual event last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The performance benefits St. Luke’s fundraising efforts focused toward supporting the St. Luke’s School in Duny, Haiti.

The music for this concert includes a medley from “The Polar Express,” Richard Saucedo’s arrangement of “Dashing Through the Snow,” “Silver Bells,” John Cacavas’ arrangement of “Christmas Music for Winds,” Gustav Holts’ “On this Day Earth Shall Ring,” John Lovrien’s “Minor Alterations” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The band selected ten compositions for performance.

In conjunction with the health and safety requirements of St. Luke’s Cathedral, all attending guests must provide proof of vaccination from the COVID-19 virus and all must wear masks during the band’s performance. Doors will open to the public at 2 p.m.

St. Luke’s also plans to live stream the performance, which will be available at: https://video.ibm.com/channel/Ev3GjBysEwX.

The Maine Pops Concert Band concludes its fall/winter performance season on December 15 when it performs at the Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth, ME. Like the concert at St. Luke’s, the Mountainside concert is a benefit performance. Donations to the church will go to the purchase clothing and food, supplementing the church’s weekly donations to the homeless in Portland.

The Maine Pops Concert Band is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Individuals and organizations wishing to become a band sponsor should contact the band president at president@mainepops.org. Contributions may be tax-deductible.

“We’re Back!” Maine Pops Concert Band’s November 21 Concert is its First In-Person Concert since December 2019.

The Maine Pops Concert Band returned to public performances on November 21, conducting its first in-person concert in two years from St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland, Maine.

The concert was an extremely welcomed event not only to Maine Pops members, but also to the gathered audience attending band’s return to the stage for a live musical performance. The last time the Maine Pops performed an in-person concert was the Christmas holiday benefit concert December 18, 2019 at the former West Falmouth Baptist Church (since renamed the Mountainside Community Church).

In thanking the audience for attending, Maine Pops Director David Watts shared the sentiments felt by many band musicians. “I appreciate you coming out,” said Watts, adding that it’s wonderful to have people here to watch and enjoy the band’s return after the long absence. Watts spoke of his pre-concert chat with the band before going on stage, telling the audience that “it just almost doesn’t seem real to finally be back and performing…this is great.”

Following the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” attendees were treated to a variety of music that included a Benny Goodman medley, a new arrangement of the hymn “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” a Bruno Mars medley, and Toto’s “Africa.” The program continued with highlights from the musical “Chicago,” Eric Whitacre’s “Sleep,” and John Williams’ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” before concluding with Henry Fillmore’s “Americans, We.”

For those who missed the live performance or the live stream, the Maine Pops Concert Band’s fall concert for 2021 can be viewed at: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/131160736.

Prior to its final number, band president Robert Swerdlow thanked the audience for its attendance and their donations, as well as the volunteers, sponsors, and musicians that made this emergence possible. He thanked Ben Shambaugh, the Dean of St. Luke’s Cathedral, for hosting the concert, then made a special presentation to Watts – a framed letter from the Maine Pops Board of Directors and a gift, recognizing his efforts to keep the music going throughout the pandemic. The citation reads:

“On behalf of our membership, the Board of the Maine Pops Concert Band recognizes and commends David Watts for exceptional commitment, professionalism, and creativity. During the 2020-2021 COVID-19 crisis his leadership, flexibility, and persistence helped the Maine Pops Concert Band fulfill its mission to foster community, encourage musicianship, promote Concert Band repertoire, and foster a life-long love of music for our members and our audiences.”

The fall concert was the culmination of a long-term process to return the Maine Pops to normalcy. After shutting music operations down in March of 2020, the Maine Pops remained inactive until October, when the band began holding Zoom meetings and online, muted rehearsals, using recorded soundtracks of music as a guide. This led to a 52-minute virtual Christmas concert in December 2020, followed by a five-part series of virtual music releases through the band’s YouTube channel.

The Maine Pops resumed in-person, outdoor rehearsals in Falmouth, starting in July and remaining outdoors until late October. They are currently rehearsing in the fellowship hall of the Mountainside Community Church in Falmouth while looking for a more permanent indoor rehearsal venue.

Maine Pops Concert Band to Perform at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland November 21

The Maine Pops Concert Band returns to the performance stage for the first time since December 2019 when it performs November 21 at St. Luke’s Cathedral, located at 143 State Street in Portland, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Under the direction of David Watts, the 60-member community concert band will perform nine compositions, including John Williams’ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Eric Whitacre’s “Sleep,” a medley of hits from Benny Goodman, Bruno Mars, and the musical “Chicago,” and Toto’s “Africa.”

Admission to this concert is free to the public, but the band will accept donations to help with expenses, part of its recovery efforts following a 17-month in-person layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In compliance with St Luke’s health and safety requirements, the church will require concert attendees to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and patrons will be asked to mask while inside St. Luke’s for the performance.