With the fall concert completed, the Maine Pops Concert Band is now focusing on two holiday concerts in December, plus a series of small ensemble performances as it moves into the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. The multiple engagements that run through December 14 show the versatility of the 100-member, Scarborough-based band as it performs at various venues within the greater Portland area.
On December 14, the Maine Pops Concert Band returns to the Westbrook Performing Arts Center for its annual Christmas benefit concert, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Watts has selected 14 holiday compositions which are currently in rehearsal. The concert will benefit Project G.R.A.C.E. and the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland’s Pet Food Pantry.
Admission to both holiday concerts is a $15 donation per person. Students are admitted free of charge.
In addition, two other Maine Pops small ensembles will perform in Scarborough and in South Portland over the next few weeks. The Maine Pops Flute Choir – under the direction of Patty Lawson – have three engagements slated. The first is a private 2 p.m. performance at the Scarborough Terrace Senior Housing Center in Scarborough on November 22. The ensemble will then perform during a church service at Scarborough’s St. Nicholas Episcopal Church on Sunday, December 7. Services begin at 9:30 p.m. The flute choir performances conclude with a concert inside the Maine Mall near the large Christmas tree on Saturday, December 13, at 2 p.m.
The Maine Pops Polished Brass – the band’s brass ensemble that features trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba musicians under the leadership of Arthur and Diane McClanahan – will also perform at a 9:30 a.m. St. Nicholas Episcopal Church service on Sunday, November 23.
For more information on concerts and other Maine Pops Concert Band events, please visit our website at www.mainepops.org or our public Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mainepops.
