News - Maine POPS Concert Band

Maine Pops Concert Band Suspends Winter Rehearsals as Omicron Variant Remains

The Maine Pops Concert Band has suspended in-person band rehearsals until further notice because of the continuing case numbers involving the Omicron variant to COVID-19.

The Maine Pops Board of Directors, after a lengthy discussion on January 5 during its monthly teleconference call, decided that in best interest of safety to its members, it would delay the start of the 2022 Winter-Spring rehearsal schedule. The board will meet again on February 9 to reassess the issue with the hopes of resuming in-person rehearsals in February.

The band was scheduled to resume rehearsals on January 12 at 7 p.m. at the Mountainside Community Church in Falmouth.

Although the band has required that all members be vaccinated and receive booster shots, the more contagious Omicron variety can still cause various levels of illness to those who contract the variant. The board decided that even with the vaccinations and booster shots, they determined that the chances of contracting the omicron variant in a close music performance environment were too great.

Even though rehearsals are suspended until at least February, band president Bob Swerdlow is encouraging band members to download the spring season music now being posted on the band’s virtual library and begin rehearsing at home. Ten selections have been chosen so far for the season and all new music is now available. In addition, a few compositions – standard repertoire for our spring and summer performance – should be kept in the music folders. A formal list of “stand-by” music will be announced soon.

The Maine Pops Board asks all members to continue practicing and remain alert to schedule changes as we attempt to kick-start the spring campaign. The Maine Pops Tribune, our two Facebook social media sites, LinkedIn, and the bands webpage at www.mainepops.org will post updates and information when it becomes available.

Maine Pops Concert Band Looking for Sponsors, Donations to Recover and Rebuild Band During Post-Pandemic Era

Like many musical ensembles in Maine, the Maine Pops Concert Band has been through some tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve dealt with restricted or closed rehearsal venues and seen a series of scheduled concerts cancelled. Even through the band remained active, it performed with fewer members and spent eight months in make-shift home recording studios to produce a virtual Christmas concert and a series of single releases published on the band’s web site and social media channels.

With the return of live, outdoor summer and fall rehearsals, and the completion its first public performances after nearly two years, the Maine Pops has slowly recovered much of its membership, recruited new musicians, and regained most of its balanced and full pre-pandemic sound.

But as the band’s musical resurgence continues, it is still in need for support from its Greater Portland Metropolitan Community; support in the form of community sponsorship and donations to help defray costs. This winter, as the band heads into its holiday break, !it is resuming its campaign to bring additional funding into the organization and keep and needs help.

“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. “We now need your help to ease the financial burden the pandemic has created.”

The COVID-19 pandemic in Maine has been hard on many non-profit organizations, especially on concert bands. Swerdlow said the pandemic has been expensive for the Maine Pops and its earned revenue is down substantially. “The band did not collect membership dues for the 2020-2021 season, and we have had no concert ticket sales, advertising, or sponsorship revenue for nearly two years. Yet, many of our expenses persisted right through the pandemic.

“We continue to employ our music director, David Watts, who has been exceptionally flexible and creative in his work with the band during this difficult time,” said Swerdlow. “We also continue to buy music, maintain our online presence, and incur all other necessary expenses.”

Swerdlow said that during the pandemic’s early stages, it became clear that it was not safe for bands to play in person. “Our biggest concern, from the beginning of the pandemic, has been the safety of our members,” he said. “Wind instruments, by their nature, disperse aerosols, and many of our members are old enough to be at high risk. For caution’s sake we cancelled our Spring 2020 concert and all in-person rehearsals. We were not sure the Maine Pops would survive.”

The band’s board of directors spent many hours in Zoom meetings discussing options, and in August 2020, Swerdlow sent a video (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PtqHEhWo70qswo-zydfOrm9ZaXfdm-aC/view?usp=sharing) to the band outlining its approach. The message to the band was clear: “We need to be safe now, but we are strong, and we plan to be back. We are a close-knit community of dedicated musicians, and the Maine Pops is here to stay.”

From that video release, the band increased their efforts to rebuild and perform, starting with virtual, Zoom-based, muted rehearsals performed in homes. By December, band members had produced a 51-minute Christmas holiday concert – a performance that helped the band raise over $1500 in charity donations to local food pantries.

During the 2020-2021 pandemic, the band also:
• Recorded and released virtual performances of “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “A String of Pearls,” “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Tuxedo Junction” between February and May 2021.
• Recorded and released a virtual R. B. Hall Day performance of R. B. Hall’s “New Colonial March” featuring over 50 musicians from all over Maine and beyond.
• Posted all virtual performances on the “Maine Pops” YouTube channel.
• Began outdoor in-person rehearsals for vaccinated members in July 2021.
• Performed our Fall 2021 – “Americans, We” — our first live post-COVID concert, at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland on November 21 with pandemic restrictions in place for both the musicians and the audience.
• Performed “A Cathedral Holiday” concert at St. Luke’s in Portland on December 4 and will perform “Charity Christmas Concert” at Mountainside Community Church in Falmouth on Wednesday, December 15 at 7:30 pm. Again, pandemic restrictions were in place.
• Streamed all live concerts on the “Maine Pops” Facebook page.

After falling from a roster of over 80 to fewer than 20 players during Zoom rehearsals, Swerdlow said the band has now rebuilt to over 50 members, including more than a dozen new musicians The band has resumed receiving membership dues for 2021-2022, bringing needed revenue. The band also received donations from its November 21 concert.

However, the band needs more funding as the band begins planning for its spring and summer season with hopes for a full concert schedule. Members of the band’s marketing committee are working to contact current sponsors to maintain their support, while also venturing other community assets for support. “Your donations are critical to our future,” said Swerdlow. “With your help we will continue to build community through music for years to come.”

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. Donors may also contribute through Venmo (www.venmo.com), enter 207-712-7119 and confirm the payee is ‘Victoria Swerdlow’, who manages these payments.

To become a sponsor, please email Bob Swerdlow at president@mainepops.org.

Maine Pops to Perform Benefit Concert at Mountainside Community Church on December 15

The Maine Pops Concert Band will perform its final Christmas holiday benefit concert on Wednesday, December 15, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The band will perform "Charity Christmas Concert" at Mountainside Community Church, located at 18 Mountain Road in Falmouth, ME. This in-person concert resumes the long-standing concert cooperation between Mountainside Community Church and the Maine Pops; an effort conducted as a virtual event last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The performance benefits Mountainside’s fundraising efforts focused toward collecting funds for the homeless in Portland.

The concert is being live-streamed by Mountainside Community Church and will be available at 7:30 p.m. at https://www.mountainsidecc.org/concert-livestream.

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 Holst’s “On this Day Earth Shall Ring,” John Lovrien’s “Minor Alterations” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The band selected ten compositions for performance, and may add a couple selections from its Fall 2021 concert.

In conjunction with the health and safety requirements of Mountainside Community Church all attending guests must wear masks during the band’s performance. Doors will open to the public at 7 p.m.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

Maine Pops Concert Band to Perform Three Concerts in the Portland Area this Fall

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.

Maine Pops Looking to Increase its Members, Gain Volunteers for Positions

Now that the Maine Pops Concert Band has resumed fall rehearsals, the band is now conducting a pair of initiatives that it hopes not only to increase and diversify band membership, but also solicit musicians to fill volunteer positions needed to conduct the band’s outreach and administrative business for the 2021-2022 season.

The annual membership campaign started in late August, soliciting members on the band’s 2019-2020 roster to rejoin for the year. In the three weeks since registrations opened, the Maine Pops has registered over 50 members for the season and is looking to not only bring back current members, but also add new faces to mix.

“We know that many of our members are in a wait-and-see mode right now, based on COVID-19 precautions and our reacquiring a permanent rehearsal venue,” said band president Bob Swerdlow. “We’re doing everything we can to keep our members safe and healthy, and we are working with the schools and with other potential locations so that we can have an indoor facility before the weather gets cold.”

Currently, the band is conducting outdoor rehearsals every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Falmouth Village Park. In the event of inclement weather, the band moves to a back-up indoor venue where musicians are socially distanced and rehearsal breaks are slated.

Swerdlow added that the band has lost musicians over the year to resignations, retirements and moves to other parts of the state and the country. When you combined those losses with the general age of many Maine Pops musicians, the board is increasing its efforts to diversify membership and recruit new members from the local communities.

“We’re open to any musician wanting to play in a concert band,” said Swerdlow. This includes recent high school and college graduates, and those who have recently moved to Maine and reside in the Greater Portland metro area. “Applicants don’t have to worry about passing an audition with the Maine Pops; we’re looking for people who can read music and want to play and contribute their talent to our efforts.”

To attract some younger musicians, Maine Pops Director David Watts has chosen a variety of compositions for the band’s fall concert series that might appeal to them. Selected music for the fall includes “Africa” by Toto; a medley of Bruno Mars hits, selections from the musical “Chicago,” and Symphonic Suite from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Watts has also selected a Benny Goodman medley, a traditional march, a hymn, and an Eric Whitacre composition for the fall.

Membership registration for the 2021-2022 season can be done online at: https://forms.gle/3T2UBzF6zje3uckUA. A link to the registration form is also available to the weekly “Maine Pops Tribune.” Membership is $40 a year, payable this season in $20 installments for fall and spring segments. Details on submitting dues are included in the registration.

Volunteers Needed

While the band prepares for a tentative set of fall concerts in November and December, the band’s board of directors is asking members to look at possibly volunteering for some of the positions and committees that keep the Maine Pops operating administratively and historically.

At the first rehearsal of the fall season held September 8 in Falmouth, Swerdlow emphasized that the band is looking for musicians to fill volunteer roles important to the band’s continued success. These roles help the board and the band plan for events, conduct outreach to our community, record the organizations history, finance projects, recruit new members, and a variety of other functions. All the band’s volunteer needs are listed in Appendix C of the Maine Pops Concert Band Operating Procedure Manual (OPM).

Swerdlow mentioned needing volunteers for a variety of positions. These roles include concert ticket coordinator, personnel manager, newsletter editor, health and welfare coordinator, scholarships, uniform manager, sponsorship coordinator, program advertising, and donation coordinator. Please check the band’s OPM to look for a position you’d like to perform.

In addition, the band is looking for a music librarian, who would be responsible for maintaining the Maine Pops’ large library of musical selections. The librarian works with the band director and section leaders to acquire, register, distribute and collect sheet music used for each of the band’s performance seasons. The librarian would also coordinate with the director and staff on music to purge from library if no longer needed and assists in digitizing sheet music into PDFs for upload to the band’s digital web-based library.

There are also committees that members can join and contribute their talents and expertise. The Pops Board formed many of these committees during the 2020-2021 COVID campaign and they remain in place for the new season. These committees include pandemic safety, communications and technology, archives, marketing, finance, concert and rehearsal venue, membership, and operational procedures. Swerdlow is asking members to consider participating in at least one committee.

If you are interested in volunteering for a specific position or in joining a Maine Pops Concert Band committee, please contact Bob Swerdlow at president@mainepops.org.

Maine Pops Concert Band Returns to In-Person Rehearsals

The Maine Pops Concert Band is back!!!

After 16 months of Zoom calls, newsletter updates, muted online rehearsals, and a slew of virtual music performances, the Maine Pops Concert Band reunited for a 90-minute rehearsal session inside the Mason-Motz gymnasium in Falmouth on July 8.

Nearly 40 members of the band used the spacious surrounding of the gym floor to go over a series compositions under the direction of an elated David Watts. Band members saw a few new faces, as well as some musicians who have returned to the MPCB following an extended absence. Still, most attending were musicians who were with Maine Pops when COVID-19 brought the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 season to an abrupt end.

Watts indicated tonight that the weekly summer rehearsals – slated primarily for the Falmouth Village Park – will be treated more like a weekly performance more than standard rehearsal. He said the main focus is for musicians to get back together, rebuild endurance, and get used to playing together as an ensemble.

The 40 members who appeared tonight are hopefully the start of our gradual return to full strength. There is hope that many of our musicians start returning as the summer proceeds, but we also need to recruit musicians to fill our instrumentation needs. Some have indicated that will not be returning, and some have moved out of the greater Portland area. Band president Bob Swerdlow encouraged band members to look for potential members that can contribute to the band’s efforts as they prepare for the fall season.

The band’s next rehearsal is slated for July 15 at Falmouth Village Park, beginning at 6 p.m.

Maine Pops’ Return to In-Person Rehearsals Postponed One Week Due to Weather

The return of live rehearsals for the Maine Pops Concert Band must wait an additional week.

The July 1 rehearsal of the Maine Pops Concert Band – slated from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Falmouth Village Park – has been cancelled due to weather. The National Weather Service has called for for thunderstorms in the Portland metropolitan area during the band’s scheduled rehearsal time, so band leadership decided to cancel this evening’s session.

The band’s next scheduled rehearsal will be Thursday, July 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Falmouth Village Park.