An audience of about 75 people – including Maine Pops Concert Band members – attend the 2nd Annual Maine Pops Small Ensembles Concert, held April 12 at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, Maine.
Flautist Chris Elbrader performs on bass flute with the Maine Pops Flute Choir during the band’s 2nd annual small ensemble concert held April 12 in Saco. Elbrader also performed as a clarinetist with the band “Clarinet Chromatics” ensemble. (Photo by Steve Barrrett.)The two-hour concert featured six of the Maine Pops’ nine active small ensembles in performance in an effort to expand on each musician’s talent, build confidence in small ensemble events and providing entertainment to activities and functions at smaller venues.
The six ensembles that performed were: The Clarinet Chromatics Ensemble,
The Harbor Brass Quintet,
The Maine Pops Flute Choir,
The Polished Brass Ensemble,
Quince – The Maine Pops Woodwind Quintet,
The Down East Jazz Combo.
Trumpeter Thomas Lizotte, trumpeter Scott Simundza, and saxophonist Sue Niemoeller perform with the Down East Jazz Combo. It’s the newest of the nine active Maine Pops Concert Band small ensembles. The combo made its debut at the band’s 2nd annual small ensembles concert held April 12 in Saco, ME. (Photo by Steve Barrett)
Many thanks to the Reverend Scott Cousineau and the First Parish Congregational Church for hosting this performance, the Maine Pops members who provided support, and to the many attendees who enjoyed the concert.
Next up is the 2026 Maine Pops Concert Band Spring Concert, slated for Wednesday, April 29, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, Maine. Suggested donation for attendance is $15, with students admitted free.
The Maine Pops Concert Band will conduct its second annual Small Ensembles Concert on Sunday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, ME.
Featured ensembles performing are:
The Maine Pops Flute Choir
Polished Brass (brass ensemble)
Clarinet Chromatics (clarinet ensemble)
Harbor Bass (brass quintet)
Quince (woodwind quintet)
The Maine Pops Jazz Combo
The Harbor Brass quintet will be one of six small ensembles performing at the April 12 Maine Pops Small Ensembles concert. The performance is slated for April 12 in Saco.
Five of the six ensembles performed in the band’s inaugural small ensembles concert last year, while the Maine Pops Jazz Combo will make its performance debut during this event.
“While participation in the Maine Pops Concert Band remains the primary focus for all musicians within the Maine Pops organization,” explained Director David Watts, “I am very hopeful that encouraging and supporting the formation of small ensembles provides additional performance outlets within our communities.”
Watts explained that as the organization has more than doubled in membership over the past six years, it is difficult for the concert band to serve the public’s desire for musicians to visit schools, retirement homes, and non-profits. In addition, he said that the level of musicianship continues to grow. “The concert band will always remain a teaching ensemble and the ‘face’ of the organization,” said Watts. “But playing in small ensembles challenges musicians in other ways that a concert band cannot. So, I see nothing but positive resulting from this venture – greater growth and participation for our members, and greater outreach to our communities.”
The Maine Pops Flute Choir – one of 10 Maine Pops Concert Band small ensembles – will perform during the band’s 2nd annual small ensembles concert on April 12 in Saco. (Photo by Steve Barrett)
Suggested donation for the 90-minute performance is $15, with students granted free admission.
Now in its 37th year, the Maine Pops – under the direction of Watts – has become one of the largest community concert bands in Maine. There are currently over 100 musicians registered to perform with the band during the 2025-2026 season. Most will perform on April 29, the band’s first concert since their December holiday engagement, at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, ME. That concert will begin at 7 p.m.
For more information about scheduling, joining, contributing, or sponsoring the Maine Pops Concert Band, please visit http://www.mainepops.org.
The Maine Pops Concert Band will conduct its annual fall concert on Sunday, November 2 from 2:30 p.m. at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, ME. This will the first performance of the 100-member concert band since mid-August.
The concert theme is “Who We Are: The Music that Shaped Us” and will feature music from Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and John Warrington. The music will also include arrangements by Warren Barker, Stephen Bulla, and Peter Kleine Schaars. The music covers a wide variety ranging from big band and movie/theater themes to classic rock and R&B.
The suggested donation to attend is $15 per person, with students granted free admission.
For more information on the Maine Pops, please visit the web site at www.mainepops.org.
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.
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.)
A 30-member ensemble of the Maine Pops – under the direction of David Watts – performed "God Bless America" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front an announced attendance of 4,929 Maine Mariners hockey fans during pre-game ceremonies inside Portland’s Cross Insurance Arena. It’s the first time that the band has performed for a hockey game since the East Coast Hockey League awarded a team to Portland for the 2018-2019 season.
The performance was well received by the fans in attendance; with a few approaching band members to express thanks for the performance. Sinead Scott, the Maine Mariners account executive who escorted the band into the arena, said "We had season ticket holders coming up to us saying they really enjoyed the performance which is always a great sign." Scott added that the Mariners would love to have the band again next season.
It was also great experience for those who performed, with most expressing interest in performing again at the arena, and at a Portland Sea Dogs game this coming summer.
Once the band completed its performance, most remained to watch the Maine Mariners defeat the Norfolk Admirals, 5-3 in an ECAC Northern Division match-up. The Mariners’ Jimmy Lambert notched a three-goal (hat trick) game, helping Maine earn a weekend split with Norfolk.
Video and audio recordings of the Maine Pops Concert Band’s 2024 Holiday Benefit Concert held December 15 at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, Maine are now available.
The video recording of the concert is now posted to the band’s YouTube channel. The band thanks John Cranton of Scarborough’s Local Access Television for recording the performance. The concert has already aired on Scarborough Community Access Television (Channel 2) on Decemebr 23 and 26.
The audio recording has been available for about a week. Many thanks to the band’s Arthur McClanahan for providing the recording.
The sounds of the holidays will be ringing through the rafters of the Westbrook Performing Arts Center as the Maine Pops Concert Band will perform its annual holiday benefit concert on Sunday, December 15 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. This is a change in venue; the concert was previously announced to be held in Falmouth. Doors open at 2 p.m.
Proceeds from this year’s concert will benefit the Trauma Intervention Program of Greater Portland, (https://www.tipgreaterportland.org) and the Animal Rescue League of Greater Portland (https://arlgp.org) Pet Food Pantry. The recommended donation for the fundraising effort is $15 per person. Students are free to attend.
The band – under the direction of David Watts – has been rehearsing holiday music since November 6, and will present 12 compositions for the holiday audience. Compositions include a pair of Leroy Anderson’s classic works and two Chip Davis/Mannheim Steamroller holiday arrangements. The band will feature pieces from George Frederic Handel, Gustav Holst, David Lovrien, Evan Van Doren, and Robert Wendel. Other holiday arrangements include pieces by Eric Morales, Sammy Nestico, and Richard Saucedo.
Also scheduled is a pre-concert performance by the Maine Pops Flute Choir between 2 and 2:25 p.m. The ensemble plans six pre-concert pieces for patrons as they enter and settle in for the band performance and include works from Leroy Anderson, Sammy Cahn and Julie Styne, Irving Berlin, and James Lord Pierpoint. Many of the arrangements were adapted for flute choir by Patty Lawson, the Maine Pops Flute Choir lead.
Because of the growth in the Maine Pops Concert Band (nearly 100 musicians will perform) the band has had to move into a larger venue for its annual holiday benefit concert. The Westbrook Performing Arts Center, located at 471 Stroudwater Street in Westbrook, has a stage capable of holding the band, and a beautiful, two-tiered auditorium for the annual Christmas concert to raise funds for local causes during the holiday season. The band played its 2024 fall concert in Westbrook on November 3.
The holiday performance will be the last concert for the Maine Pops in 2024. Musicians will be taking an extended holiday break and resuming rehearsals on January 8, 2025, to prepare for the band’s spring concert on April 27. More details on the concert venue will be announced later.
Patrons may listen to a pre-concert performance by the Maine Pops Flute Choir, the enjoy the seven compositions directed by David Watts, the conductor of the Maine Pops Concert Band.
The Maine Pops Concert Band completed its 2024 fall concert before a fairly large audience inside the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, ME on November 3, 2024.
Nearly 85 members of the Maine Pops performed seven compositions in its first performance since its summer concert at the Bath Library Gazebo in August.
In the concert program, Director David Watts wrote, "My inspiration for selecting our repertoire for this season came from people listening to music and making the comment, ‘What’s the name of that song? I can’t place where I’ve heard it before.’”
Watts emphasized to the audience the role of this fall concert. "Some music simply transcends understanding. It
moves our soul," said Watts. "It lives in the recesses of our minds and can bring us joy, sadness, or simply Transport us to another time or location. Let the pieces today transport you."
The band performed the following compositions:
Eighties Flashback (medley)
The Rakes of Mallow
Excerpts from Appalachian Spring
Summer of ’69 (medley)
Adagio for Strings
Light Cavalry Overture
Seventy-Six Trombones
The event opened with a pre-concert performance by the Maine Pops Flute Choir as patrons entered the center.
The next Maine Pops Concert will be its annual Christmas Benefit Concert, slated for Sunday, December 15 at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine. Doors will open at 2 p.m. for a 2:30 p.m. concert.
