Author: Steve Barrett

Steve Barrett is a retired government public affairs official with 43 years of experience (23 military, 20 with Federal Government). Married since 1987. Twin daughters are high school language teachers. Hobbies include music photography as a USBands marching band competition photographer (2012-present), high school band/chorus/theater photography in Maryland from 2002-2017 and 2018-present in Maine, playing trumpet and flugelhorn, reading and Scrabble. Played trumpet/flugelhorn recreationally with the Anne Arundel Community College community jazz band from 2007-2017. Now performs recreationally with the Maine Pops Concert Band and is an elected member of the band's board of directors. Holds a Master of Arts Degree in Communication from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland University College. Barrett is originally from Montour Falls, NY.

Video of Maine Pops Concert Band’s Scarborough Summerfest performance is now available.

The video of the Maine Pops Concert Band’s final 2025 summer performance at Scarborough Summerfest is now available for viewing through band’s YouTube channel. The performance capped off a seven-engagement concert series where the band performed publicly in Kennebunk, Scarborough, Portland, Bath, and Cape Elizabeth. It also conducted private performances in Scarborough and Portland.

“Our final performance was AMAZING!,” said Watts after the season-ending Scarborough performance. “When people holler and stand up after performances, you know you’ve made a connection. When you pull people in who just happened to be passing by, you know you’ve made a connection. When you see teenagers start dancing and singing along with your performance, you know you’ve made a connection. And that’s what we did in our final performance of the season.”

Music for the summer season included the following works:
• The Star-Spangled Banner,
• Eighties Flashback
• Light Cavalry Overture
• The Rakes of Mallow
• Seventy-Six Trombones
• Summer of ‘69
• An American in Paris
• Fuego del Alma
• Finlandia
• Galop
• (Back Home in) Indiana
• The Pathfinder of Panama
• Star Trek Symphonic Suite
• Three Celtic Dances
• Travellin’ Music
• The Stars and Stripes Forever

Many thanks to John Cranton and his team at Scarborough Community Access Television for recording the performance and providing a copy to the band.

The Maine Pops will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, September 3 and September 10 at Scarborough’s Ketcha Outdoors from 7 to 9 p.m. On September 17, the band resumes rehearsals at Scarborough High School in preparation for the annual Maine Pops fall concert slated for Sunday, November 2 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, Maine.

Maine Pops Concert Band Closes 2025 Summer Season at Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough

The summer season has closed for the Maine Pops Concert Band, concluding a seven-concert summer with performances August 13 at the Cape Elizabeth Town Green and at the annual Scarborough Summerfest event August 15.

Under the direction of David Watts, the band held five public and two private performances in 2025, playing material from the band’s fall 2024 and spring 2025 concerts as well as a couple of extra patriotic favorites. In all cases, the band drew enthusiastic support from many bringing lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic dinners to listen to the variety of concert band music. In the case of Scarborough Summerfest, the audience included hundreds of food truck patrons gathering meals while the band performed its program from a nearby festival tent.

In addition to the shows in Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough, the band held public concerts in St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk (June 25), Portland’s Heseltine Park (July 16), and the Bath Library Gazebo (August 1). They also had private engagements for Scarborough’s Ketcha Outdoors (July 2) and for the residents of Portland’s 100 State Street senior housing center (August 6).

The Maine Pops is now completing a three-week break. The band will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, September 3 at Scarborough’s Ketcha Outdoors and will conduct a second session at Ketcha on September 10. After September 15, the band will be able to return to the Scarborough High School band room from 7 to 9 p.m., with the first session slated for September 17.

The annual Maine Pops fall concert is slated for Sunday, November 2 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, Maine.

2025-07-16 Maine Pops Entertains Large Heseltine Park Audience in Portland

The third concert of the 2025 Maine Pops Concert Band summer season took place Wednesday, July 16 at Heseltine Park, located in the Woodfords Corner Community of Portland, ME. This was the second of five public concert performances for the Scarborough-based concert band and entertained a very large crowd that filled the park. About 80 members of the band performed, under the direction of David Watts.

The concert drew a large crowd at Heseltine, small community park and playground that serves residents of Portland’s Woodfords Corner Community. The concert was a “lawn chair” performance with most audience members bring chairs and blankets to hear the nine-selection show.

The evening’s program:
1. The Star-Spangled Banner
2. Travellin’ Music
3. Summer of ’69
4. The Pathfinder of Panama
5. Indiana
6. An American in Paris
7. Eighties Flashback
8. Seventy-Six Trombones
9. The Stars and Stripes Forever.

2025-07-10 Maine Pops French Horn Ensemble Performs Floating Quintet Concert in Raymond

Residents and vacationers relaxing around Raymond’s Panther Pond got a surprise 90-minute musical performance on July 9 from one of the Maine Pops Concert Band’s newly formed small ensembles. The performance involved a pontoon boat, five French horn players from the band’s “Uniquehorns” ensemble, and a half-dozen stops around the pond to play to appreciating shoreline audiences.

The ensemble’s “Pon-Tunes” performance brought waves of comments from those ashore who were watching and listening to the group’s music. Diane McClanahan, who leads the Uniquehorns ensemble, said the pond-sailing adventure brought many on-site kudos and congratulatory emails, praising the floating stage performance that Wednesday evening.

“The ‘pon-tunes’ we played as we circled the lake in our pontoon boat were met with cheers and applause by folks on the shoreline and docks who were awaiting our arrival,” said McClanahan. She added that one neighbor commented that the ensemble should do it more often, recommending the ensemble conduct regular “Pon-tune Tuesdays” for the community.

Piloted around the lake by Diane’s husband, Arthur, Wednesday’s performing musicians were McClanahan, Barbara Vladenides Wolejko, Rosetta Iannaconne, Denis Drobinski, and Charlie Lessard – all members of the Scarborough-based Maine Pops Concert Band. The music performed consisted of:
1) A Drobinski four-part French horn arrangement of “Air” and “Alla Hornpipe” from G.F. Handel’s Water Music,
2) Summer Song, F. Mendelssohn Op.50, No.31, arranged by H. Voxman, and
3) March Brisk, Milton Dieterich

The Uniquehorns French horn ensemble is one of nine Maine Pops ensembles – a recent expansion of groups that are bringing small group performances to local communities. The floating performance is only the second for the ensemble since forming in January. The ensemble had its premier performance at the inaugural Maine Pops small ensemble concert held May 28 in Saco, ME.

McClanahan said the experience was “…a great opportunity for us to live into the Maine Pops mission of ‘Building Community through Music;’ adding that agreed that Panther Pond residents and vacationers may experience “pon-tunes” again during the summer. Taking from another email she received, McClanahan echoed the comment that “…these are the types of things that strengthen a community.”

2025-07-05 Maine Pops Percussionist Receives Major League Baseball “Home Run Service” Award

Congratulations to Maine Pops Concert Band percussionist Mark Munson on receiving an award from Major League Baseball for providing “Home Run Service” to fans attending Portland Sea Dogs baseball games at Hadlock Field. Your customer service efforts with the Sea Dogs, the Eastern League, and all the fans who attend games are greatly appreciated.

The band sends its congratulations to you, and thanks the Portland Sea Dogs, the Eastern League, and Major League Baseball for recognizing and honoring your work for the team and baseball. (Photo courtesy of the Portland Sea Dogs.)

2025-06-25 Maine Pops Kicks Off Summer Concert Series with at St. David’s Epicopal Church in Kennebunk

The first of the Maine Pops Concert Band’s summer concert series got a wonderful start when the band performed before a fairly large community crowd at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk, ME on June 25.

Nearly 80 members of the Maine Pops made the trek to the church grounds located between Kennebunk and Wells to perform 10 pieces from its fall 2024 and spring 2025 concerts. Video of the concert is now available via the band’s YouTube Channel.

Under the Direction of David Watts, the band performed:

The Star-Spangled Banner
Rakes of Mallow
Summer of ’69
Travelin’ Music
Three Celtic Dances
Indiana
The Pathfinder of Panama
Star Trek Symphonic Suite
An American in Paris
Seventy-Six Trombones.

The Maine Pops has four public and three private performances slated between now and August 15. The band’s next public concert is Wednesday, July 16 at Portland’s Heseltine Park, located in the Woodfords Corner neighborhood of Portland, ME. Concert begins at 7 p.m. In August, the band has public performances at the Bath Library Gazebo Park on August 1 at 6:30 p.m., followed by an August 13 concert at 7 p.m. at the Cape Elizabeth Green in Cape Elizabeth, ME. The Maine Pops concludes its public performance season with a 6 p.m. concert at the annual Scarborough (ME) Summerfest on August 15.

Maine Pops Concert Band Conducts Board of Directors Elections for 2025-2026 season.

The Maine Pops Concert Band held its annual board of director elections June 11 during its final 2024-2025 band rehearsal held at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine.

The band splits electing its board of directors election annually, voting on half of the board during “odd” years, and the other half in “even” years. This year, three board officers and five board at-large positions were up for election.

Reelected to the board until June of 2027 were clarinetist Bob Swerdlow as Maine Pops president and saxophonist Jeff Shedd as treasurer. Both trumpeter Steve Barrett and clarinetist Rick Wacksman were reelected as at-large board members. Trombonist Gretchen Ascher was elected vice president, replacing flautist/percussionist Yvonne Wentz. Clarinetist Anton Bodor, trombonist Kyle Neugebauer, and bass clarinetist Gregory J. Stone were elected to at-large board positions, replacing clarinetists Kara Larochelle and Kathleen Martin, and saxophonist Gary MacWhinnie.

The remaining board members – slated for reelection in June 2026 are: flautist Lily King (secretary), bassoonist Christina McCarthy (venue coordinator/past president), and at-large members Nanci Goudey (flute), Jane Ross (clarinet), Patty Gatrost Lawson (flute) and Jim McDonough (trumpet). David Watts – the director of the Maine Pops Concert Band is a non-voting member of the Maine Pops Board of Directors.

2025-05-28 Maine Pops Conducts First Small Ensemble Concert in Saco

After having to cancel its initial Maine Pops Concert Band small ensemble concert last March, six of the band’s nine small music ensembles performed a 90-minute program on Wednesday, May 28 at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco.

Prior to January of 2025, the Maine Pops had three performing small ensembles – its woodwind quintet. a flute choir, and a 19-member big band. The new year brought new opportunities as band leadership – seeking to provide a variety of entertainment options and encourage outreach to our local audiences – encouraged concert band musicians to create small groups for the purpose building sectional cohesion and performing in venues where our 100-member band could not perform.

“That is what community bands are for,” said Bob Swerdlow, president of the Maine Pops. “We play for fun. We play to learn. We play to entertain. After 36 years the Pops is better musically, stronger operationally, and larger than ever.”

A moderate-sized audience, including a good percentage of Maine Pops Concert Band members, was there to support musicians through a series of small group compositions. Four of the six ensembles made their public debut this evening.

The listing below are the ensembles and the works they performed:
The Maine Pops Flute Choir
Little Bird – Grieg (arr. Amos)
The Windmills of Your Mind – Legrand (arr. White)
Air from Suite in D, BWV 1069 – Bach (arr. Tucker)
Chitty Chitty Bang Band – Sherman & Sherman (arr. Orriss)

Uniquehorns (French horn ensemble)
Intrada – Drobinski
TV Western Medley – Drobinski

Tubby Tones (tuba/euphonium ensemble)
Helena Polka (arr. Knoener)
Songs of the British Isles: Movement 4 (arr. Werden)
Amazing Grace – Newton (arr. Wright)

Quince Woodwind Quintet
Menuet – Colomer
Shipwreck – Drobinski
Adios Muchachos – Sanders (arr. Dobrinescu)

Clarinet Chromatics
Argenteuil 1902 – Margolis
Happy Together – Gordon (transcribed Rau)
Three Blind Mice – (transcribed by Mills and Bates)

Polished Brass
Strike up the Band – G. Gershwin (arr.Naulais)
Rondeau – Mourney (transcibed by King)
Three Spirituals (arr. Barnes)

The next public performance by the Maine Pops will be Wednesday, June 25, when the full concert band will perform and outdoor concert at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk. The concert starts at 7 p.m.

Maine Pops Concert Band Announces Public Summer Performance Schedule for 2025

The Maine Pops Concert Band has a full summer of musical engagements that will take the Scarborough-based concert band to locations ranging from Bath to Kennebunk. The 100-member concert band – under the direction of David Watts — will begin public performances on most Wednesday evenings between late June and the middle of August.

The next scheduled concert – slated for May 28 at First Parish Congregational Church in Saco – will feature six of the band’s nine small ensembles in a concert that was cancelled last March due to a late-season winter storm. Groups may include “Polished Brass” (an 11-member brass ensemble), the “Clarinet Chromatics” (clarinet ensemble), The Uniquehorns (French horn ensemble), “Tubby Tones” (tuba and euphonium ensemble), the Maine Pops Flute Choir, and “Quince” the band’s woodwind quintet. The concert begins at 7 p.m. A donation of $15 is recommended and all students are admitted free of charge.

The full Maine Pops Concert Band also has a busy summer planned with the following public engagements scheduled:

June 25 – Outdoor concert at Saint David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
June 28 – Robert Browne Hall Day Massed Band performance, Site and time to be determined.
July 16 – Outdoor concert at Heseltine Park, Woodfords Corner neighbor, Portland, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
August 1 – Outdoor concert at Bath Library Gazebo, Bath, Maine, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
August 13 – Outdoor concert at Cape Elizabeth Village Green, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
August 15 – Outdoor concert at Scarborough Summerfest (tent adjacent to high school tennis courts), Scarborough, ME, 6 to 7 p.m.

Beach Street Big Band Opens Summer Season with Saco Concert May 15

The first in a series of full concert band and small ensemble performances this summer by elements of the Maine Pops Concert Band was held May 15 with a 7 p.m. concert featuring the Beach Street Big Band held at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, ME.

Under the direction of long-time music educator Tom Lizotte, the Beach Street Big Band performed before a small audience of 50 people. Although the band played held its formal debut last December as part of the Biddeford Alumni Band’s Christmas holiday concert, the May 15 event was the ensemble’s first public performance as the headline act. Between now and the end of summer, The Beach Street Big Band – taking its name from the Saco Street where the band rehearses every week – plans to perform in a series of public and private concerts to entertain audiences in the greater Portland area.

For those who were unable to attend the concert in person, the performance was recorded by Scarborough Community Access Television and is available on the band’s YouTube page. Many thanks to John Cranton of Scarborough CAT for his work.

The program for the May 15 concert included the following charts:
The Opener – Carl Stommen
Cry Me a River – Arthur Hamilton (arr. Jerry Nowak)
Only Trust Your Heart – Sammy Cahn (arr. Terry White)
The Very Thought of You – Ray Noble (arr. Terry White)
April in Paris – E.Y. Harburg (arr. Dave Barduhn)
Almost Like Being in Love – Lerner and Lowe (arr. Lenny Niehaus)
Blue Skies – Irving Berlin (arr. Robert Holmes)
Let’s Fall in Love – Harold Arlen (arr. Terry White)
Fever – Davenport and Cooley (arr. Robert Holmes)
Moten Swing – Buster and Bennie Moten, (arr. Ernie Wilkens)
Over the Rainbow – E.Y. Harburg (arr. Dave Wolpe)
Oh, Lady Be Good – George and Ira Gershwin (arr. Terry White)

OTHER MAINE POPS SUMMER ENGAGEMENTS

In addition to the big band’s performance, the Maine Pops Concert Band has a full summer of musical engagements. The next concert – also slated for May 28 at First Parish Congregational Church in Saco – will feature additional small ensembles from the Maine Pops membership in concert that was cancelled last March due to a late-season winter storm. Groups may include an 11-member brass ensemble, a clarinet, saxophone and tuba ensemble, the Maine Pops Flute Choir, and a woodwind quintet. The concert begins at 7 p.m. A donation of $15 is recommended and all students are admitted free of charge.

The full Maine Pops Concert Band also has a busy summer planned with the following public engagements scheduled:

June 25 – Outdoor concert at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
June 28 – Robert Browne Hall Day Massed Band performance, Site and time to be determined.
July 16 – Outdoor concert at Heseltine Park, Woodfords Corner neighbor, Portland, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
August 1 – Outdoor concert at Bath Library Gazebo, Bath, Maine, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
August 13 – Outdoor concert at Cape Elizabeth Village Green, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
August 15 – Outdoor concert at Scarborough Summerfest (tent adjacent to high school tennis courts), Scarborough, ME, 6 to 7 p.m.