Category: Members

Financing a non-profit musical organization takes a lot of work dedicated to soliciting donations, conducting fundraising, and writing requests for grants. For community bands like the Maine Pops Concert Band, raising funds to finance its annual operation requires the help from the community it serves.

In the spirit of the recent “Giving Tuesday” observance following Thanksgiving, the Maine Pops is again looking to its community for donations and grants that will help keep concert band music in our local communities. Contributions by its members, and through the generosity of donors – individuals and groups – are important to meet our annual expenses.

In a Maine Pops 2023 Donation Appeal Letter focused on donors and contributors that was released December 1, Maine Pops President Bob Swerdlow expressed his thanks to those donors who already support the band’s work financially, while also appealing for new donors to consider a tax-deductible gift this year.

“As an educational non-profit organization, we work to build community through music,” said Swerdlow. “Our members are diverse in age, experience, and ability. Yet, they all share one thing: a love of playing band music.”

In addition, Swerdlow said the Maine Pops will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2023, with grants and donations needed to help the band in its celebration events.

The Maine Pops – a 60-member community band serving the Greater Portland Area – does its fair share of contributing its musical talents to help raise funds for various organizations and charities. It is season-long campaign to “build community through music” began in with a series of summer concerts, an annual fall concert in Portland, and a pair of Christmas benefits performances slated for December.

Community members interested in donating to the Maine Pops can do so by sending a check made out to “Maine Pops” to Laura Merten, Maine Pops Treasurer, 72 Harbor Place, South Portland, ME 04106. Contributors may also donate using Venmo to Victoria Swerdlow at (207) 712-7119.

For more information about contributing, please send a note to president@mainepops.org.

The Maine Pops Concert Band is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation.

The Portland-based Maine Pops Concert Band will again collaborate with two area churches in holiday fundraising efforts, performing a pair of Christmas Concerts to celebrate the holiday season and close out their 2022 performance schedule.

Fresh off their successful fall concert held November 20, the 60-member community band has spent three weeks rehearsing 13 holiday-focused compositions. These selections will offer a wide variety of music ranging from “Feliz Navidad” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to “Greensleeves and “The Holly and the Ivy.”

And yes…the band will again perform Leroy Anderson’s holiday classic, “Sleigh Ride.”

The first of the two benefit concerts will be held Sunday, December 11, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Cathedral, located at 143 State Street in Portland. This concert continues a long-standing Maine Pops tradition of holiday fundraising with St. Luke’s.

“These are challenging times for all food pantries,” said Mary Brighthaupt, Executive Director of St. Luke’s Food Pantry – the primary focus of the concert’s fundraising effort this year. She said that throughout the year, the pantry supports nearly 600 families and has been a reliable neighborhood resource for decades. “Many are new Mainers with multiple challenges such as language, housing, and transportation. The support of Maine Pops allows us to meet these challenges.”

Three days later, the Maine Pops will return to the Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth, on December 14 for a 7 p.m. concert. Like with St. Luke’s, the Maine Pops has a long-standing relationship with the Mountainside church.

Diane Ray, the wife of Mountainside Community Church pastor Mac Ray and a member of the Maine Pops, said Mountainside is dedicating much of the concert collections to purchasing a wheelchair for a young man with special needs who needs a replacement chair. Additional money will also go into supplementing Mountainside’s homeless ministry efforts.

The Maine Pops will take a holiday break following the December 14 performance, and begin work on their spring and summer performance season on January 11 at Scarborough High School from 7 to 9 p.m. The band is slated to perform a 2:30 p.m. spring concert on April 30, and the band is recruiting for new musicians. The Maine Pops is in need for clarinet, oboe, trumpet, French horn, and percussion players, but is open to accepting all concert band musicians.

If interested in joining the band, please send a note to president@mainepops.org to apply.

The Maine Pops Concert Band is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Contributions may be tax-deductible.

The first of three final 2022 concerts by the Maine Pops Concert Band will take place on Sunday, November 20, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Cathedral, located at 143 State Street in Portland.

“Maine Pops Unplugged” is the theme of band’s annual fall concert, with 11 compositions slated to provide a wide variety of music for attendees of ages. The featured concert selections will include a couple of medleys featuring music from Adele and Tony Bennett, a big-band favorite, movie and television themes, and a concert march.

The band – under the direction of David Watts – is now approaching 35 years of community service to the Greater Portland area and reaching out to its audiences by “Building Community Through Music.” Following a successful summer concert series, the band is taking on new music and new challenges to provide community residents with memorable performances while continuing to recruit musicians into the organization.

“This season we are excited to welcome quite a few new players into the band,” said Watts. “As folks have moved around the state and the country, they’ve brought a wealth of musical talent with them. This has only enhanced the sound of Maine Pops as we continue to rebuild and welcome musicians back into our ranks after the COVID shutdowns.”

Watts said the fall concert is programmed to explore some of the big names in music over the last century and beyond, such Glenn Miller, John Phillip Sousa, Samuel Barber, Adele, Vaughan Williams, and Tony Bennett. “We hope to introduce you to some rarely heard pieces from well-known composers, as well as contemporary takes on classic folk songs,” said Watts. “And adding to it all are some thrilling – and perhaps even chilling – sounds from TV and film. With all of this, we bring you Maine POPS, Unplugged!”

The concert is open to the public, with donations of $10 per person accepted at the door to help defer operating costs for the performance.

Holiday Benefit Concerts in December

Once the fall concert is complete, the Maine Pops will quickly move into holiday mode and prepare for two Christmas benefit concerts in December. On December 11, the band returns to St. Luke’s for a 2:30 p.m. concert. The performance continues a long tradition of holiday concerts between the Maine Pops and St. Luke’s, with proceeds going to the church’s humanitarian efforts in and around the Portland area.

The band will conclude its holiday season with its second holiday concert on Wednesday, December 14 at the Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth, ME. As with the St. Luke’s holiday concert, proceeds from the Mountainside performance will go to humanitarian efforts in the Portland region.

For more information, please contact president@mainepops.org or sbarrett@mainepops.org.

The Maine Pops is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Contributions may be tax-deductible.

The Maine Pops Concert Band – serving communities in the greater Portland area – has announced its concert schedule for the 2022 Fall and Holiday season.

The band – now approaching 35 years of community service to the Greater Portland area – will be performing three concerts to finish 2022, beginning with its annual Fall concert slated for Sunday, November 20, at 2:30 p.m. The performance will be held at St. Luke’s Cathedral, located at 143 State Street in Portland, ME. The band – under the direction of David Watts – is currently rehearsing potential compositions for the fall event and it will announce its concert line-up as the event approaches.

With the Christmas holidays just a few months away, the Maine Pops will return to St. Luke’s on Sunday, December 11, for the first of two regional holiday benefit concerts. The St. Luke’s concert – also slated for 2:30 p.m. – continues a long tradition of holiday concerts between the Maine Pops and St. Luke’s, with proceeds going to the church’s humanitarian efforts in and around the Portland area.

The band will conclude its holiday season with its second holiday concert on Wednesday, December 14 at the Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth, ME. Proceeds from the Mountainside performance will go to humanitarian efforts in the Portland region.

Updated information on the musical selections, admission prices and donation recommendations will be announced prior to each event.

For more information on the Maine Pops Concert Band and its 2022 Fall and holiday schedule, please contact president@mainepops.org or sbarrett@mainepops.org.

The Maine Pops is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Contributions may be tax-deductible.![]

With the completion of its spring concert In May, the Maine Pops Concert Band is now preparing for the 2022 summer concert season. Musicians are continuing their Wednesday night sessions, reviewing music the director has selected from its fall and spring concert performance repertoire; adding a few extra compositions that are favorites of the outdoor season.

As the band continues to emerge from the two-year impact of COVID-19, it is still in need for community musicians to join its ranks and return the band to pre-pandemic numbers. This summer, as the band heads into its 2022-2023 season in September, it is continuing its campaign to bring additional members into the organization.

“Our mission is to support community though concert band music and we continue to play, both virtually and in-person when safe,” said Bob Swerdlow, President of the Maine Pops.” Now, the Maine Pops needs to broaden its instrumental base by inviting past musicians back and recruit new musicians for the band.

Last season, the band performed most of their concerts with about 50 musicians; good numbers, but far below the 90-to-100 musicians the band had prior to the pandemic. In some cases, Maine Pops musicians retired and relocated away from the Portland area. However, many musicians simply were not ready to rejoin large ensembles to perform indoors – especially those with pre-existing health conditions. Vaccinations and boosters, combined with a general feeling of normalcy, have helped increase numbers, but it now time to reach out and recruit to prepare for the new season.

For now, the Maine Pops still maintains its vaccination requirements for rehearsals and concerts, and abided by COVID-19 policies of each performance venue. This practice is for the safety of the musicians and its audiences. The band was able to safely conduct its fall, holiday, and spring concerts during the 2021-2022, providing the welcomed sound of live musical performance to Portland-area audiences. As policies and requirements change regarding COVID-19, the band will adjust to abide by those guidelines.

The Maine Pops Concert Band accepts players of all nationalities, creeds, ages, and occupations. The band is always looking for new members. Interested musicians need not audition, but the band expects new members to be proficient in their selected instrument. Currently, there are specific needs for flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone, but welcomes all musicians who play standard concert band instruments to join.

Applicants can go online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScP3bTxIxXAODR3c2DWK3BqZKORLgqgR6M0cGZfIL5wxfrVjA/viewform, or they can download a printable form https://drive.google.com/file/d/10zpsmmfonxXMu4O_L1YWHfthPafeBEpd/view and submit their registration at a rehearsal.

If interested in becoming a Maine Pops Concert Band performer, please email Bob Swerdlow at president@mainepops.org.

The Maine Pops is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Donors can mail their tax-deductible donations to Laura Merten, Treasurer, Maine Pops Concert Band, 72 Harbor Place, South Portland, Maine 04106.

The Maine Pops Concert Band will conduct its first spring concert since April of 2019 when it performs Sunday, May 22 at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The theme of concert is “Coast-to Coast: A Musical Road Trip,” and will consist of eight concert band selections spanning a variety of music genre.

Compositions will include R. Vaughan Williams’ “Folk Song Suite for Military Band,” “Mambo” from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” Vaclac Nelhybel’s “Festivo,” and Genaro Codina’s “Zacatecas” march. Also on the program are two medleys: Joe Derhake’s arrangement “Coast to Coast” featuring musical selections tied to a selection of American cities, and Jerry Brubaker’s medley arrangement of “Hamilton.” Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” and Samuel Hazo’s “In Heaven’s Air” complete the concert music selection.

"I’m excited to share some new arrangements of old songs, plus some wonderful classic band repertoire spanning a period of over 100 years," said Maine Pops Concert Band Director David Watts. "This ‘musical road trip’ will take us from coast to coast throughout North America and across the big pond. The band has worked exceptionally hard this winter and spring in preparation for, what I feel will be, a very entertaining concert."

Since COVID-19 sanctions eased, the Maine Pops has performed three concerts during the fall 2021 season in the Portland area. However, the last spring concert performed was held April 28, 2019, at Cape Elizabeth High School.

It’s been a condensed rehearsal schedule for the Maine Pops as the Omicron variant to COVID-19 delayed the start of the spring season. Rehearsal sessions resumed two months late, with the March 2 session at Mountainside Community Church in West Falmouth being the first. Two weeks later — on March 16 — the band received clearance to return to Scarborough High School – its rehearsal home prior to the pandemic.

St. Luke’s Cathedral is located at 143 State Street in Portland. The concert is open to the public and the band is asking patrons for a donation of $10 per person that will benefit St. Luke’s humanitarian efforts. According to the cathedral’s web site, mask-wearing is no longer required for worship or other activities at St. Luke’s. However, the cathedral staff asks that patrons please respect parishioners who wish to wear masks and join their commitment to welcome people to the cathedral.

Established in 1988, the Maine Pops Concert Band is a non-profit community group that encourages musicians of all ages and abilities – from school age to senior citizens – to foster a life-long love of music, music history, performance, and heritage.

For more information about joining, contributing, or sponsoring the Maine Pops Concert Band, please visit www.mainepops.org.

The Maine Pops Concert Band will return to Scarborough High School for regular rehearsals, beginning Wednesday, March 16. The return marks the first time the band will rehearse in its familiar home in over two years.

The band plans to continue rehearsals at Scarborough through the spring, leading up to its 2022 Spring Concert, slated for May 22 at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The band room will not be available for rehearsal sessions on March 30 (Maine Scholastic Concert Band Festival), April 20 (Spring Break), and June 1 (Middle School Concert). An alternate rehearsal site will be announced for those dates.

In making the announcement to band members through its weekly internal newsletter, the Maine Pops reminds musicians that there are still COVID-19 protocols in place, even with the easing of restrictions at most of the area schools. Band members are required to mask in the school hallways leading from the entrance to the band room. Once in the band room, masked may be removed, although the band is encouraging the use of masks until seated.

Scarborough has removed the band risers that members were familiar with when it last rehearsed there on March 11, 2020, opting now for a single-level rehearsal space. Members are encouraged to arrive early to set up sections, with proper spacing between musicians. The band will also need folks to return the band room to its normal arrangement once rehearsal ends. Chairs will be available, but musicians are asked to bring their instruments, music, a music stand, bell covers, and a stand light (if needed).

As always, the health and safety of our band members is important. Members are continue to keep their COVID-19 vaccinations current, and they are encouraged to excuse themselves from rehearsals if ill.

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.

Making its return to the performance stage for the first time since December 2019, the Maine Pops Concert Band has scheduled three public performances in the greater Portland area between November 21 and December 15.

"What better way to return to live performances than with a celebration of American music and resiliency!," said David Watts, Director of the Maine Pops."From jazz to pop to rock to movie soundtracks to Broadway with a march thrown in for good measure. I am proud of the Maine POPS organization and the community it has created and kept active throughout the pandemic. This concert has a simple dedication. In the words of the great composer and conductor Henry Fillmore, we are titling this concert Americans We, dedicated "To All of Us."

The first of these performances will be the band’s annual fall concert, slated for November 21 at St. Luke’s Cathedral 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 eight 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.”

“The pandemic has been hard on wind players, first shutting down rehearsals and performances completely, and then requiring extra care to reduce the chance of spreading Covid-19,” said Bob Swerdlow, President of the Maine Pops. “Nonetheless, we are very excited to be returning to the stage and sharing our talents, even if it requires vaccination and other steps to keep everyone safe. This is a strong and caring community, and we could not be more proud to be playing together again.”

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.

The Maine Pops will also perform two holiday benefit concerts in December. The band returns to St. Luke’s on Saturday, December 4 at 2:30 p.m. to perform, with attendance donations going to support St. Luke’s school in Duny, Haiti. It concludes its fall performance schedule on December 15, beginning 7:30 p.m. at the Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth. The Mountainside donations will use donations to purchase clothing and food, supplementing the church’s weekly donations to the homeless in Portland.

Established in 1988, the Maine Pops Concert Band is a non-profit community group that encourages musicians of all ages and abilities – from school age to senior citizens – to foster a life-long love of music, music history, performance, and heritage. The Maine Pops performed music during the pandemic, recording and releasing a virtual holiday concert in December of 2020. The band followed that concert with a series of recorded video compositions from February to June 2021. The band resumed in-person, outdoor rehearsals in July.

For more information about joining, contributing, or sponsoring the Maine Pops Concert Band, please visit www.mainepops.org.