Category: Recordings

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.

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 Memorial Park Gazebo Amphitheater, Scarborough Summerfest, Scarborough, ME, 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Maine Pops Holds Spring Concert at Scarborough High

Another Maine Pops Concert Band spring concert is in the books following its “Let’s Travel” concert held April 27 at Scarborough High School’s Winslow Homer Center for the Arts in Scarborough, ME. A good-sized audience filled the lower portion of the auditorium to hear nine musical selections rehearsed by the band since it began spring concert rehearsals in January.

For those who missed the performance live, the Maine Pops Concert Band has posted a recording of the spring concert on its YouTube channel. Many thanks to John Cranton on Scarborough Community Access Television.

The 2025 spring program:
1. Travelin’ Music – Robert Sheldon
2. Finlandia – Jean Sebelius
3. Indiana – McDonald and Hanley
4. Fuego del Alma – Carl Strommen
5. The Pathfinder of Panama – John Philip Sousa
6. Star Trek Symphonic Suite – Giacchino, Roddenberry and Courage
7. Three Celtic Dances – Brian Balmages
8. An American in Paris – George Gershwin
9. Galop – Dmitri Shostakovich

With the spring concert complete, the Maine Pops returns to the rehearsal hall on Wednesday, April 30 to begin preparations for its 2025 summer season. The band will pull music from its 2024 fall concert, 2025 spring performance and may add a few works traditionally performed during the summer season. A formal schedule has not been set, but the summer schedule will be published as soon as arrangements are finalized.

The band is also finalizing plans for the rescheduled small ensembles concert cancelled March 29 due to wintry weather. That concert – featuring six of the nine Maine Pops ensembles, will be held Wednesday, May 28 at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, beginning at 7 p.m.

Maine Pops Concert Band Video and Audio of Holiday Benefit Concert Now Available

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.

2024 Maine Pops Concert Band Fall Concert Audio Recording Now Available

The 2024 Maine Pops Concert Band Fall Concert performed November 2 at Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, Maine, is now available on audio only.

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.

Audio is courtesy of Arthur McClanahan.

Maine Pops Conducts 2024 Fall Concert at Westbrook Performing Arts Center

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.

Maine Pops Concert Band Concludes Summer Season with Bath Performance

(Photo by Larry Langmore)

A very busy and productive Maine Pops summer concert season ended with a well-attended performance at Bath’s Library Park Gazebo on August 16 in Bath, ME.

An audio recording of the Bath performance is now available on line through the link in this paragraph. (Recording by Arthur McClanahan)

The Bath concert marked the band’s seventh summer performance of 2024. The season began with a small ensemble of musicians who performed in support of the U.S. Coast Guard’s regional change of command ceremony in June, Days later, the band performed at the R.B. Hall Festival in Bridgton, followed by concerts at Camp Ketcha (Scarborough), two Portland senior housing communities, and Portland’s Heseltine Park.

Our final summer concert program included the following 12 compositions:
Star-Spangled Banner
Amparito Roca
Motown Portrait
Veni, Vedi, Vici
I’m Shipping Up to Boston
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Gallant Seventh
Italian Festival
Dam Busters
The Rolling Stones on Tour
Battle Hymn of the Republic
The Stars and Stripes Forever

The band now receives a nearly three-week break to recover, perform instrument maintenance, and prepare for the start of fall seasons rehearsals, Those sessions are tentatively slated to begin on Wednesday, September 4, beginning at 7 p.m. at Scarborough High School.

2024-05-21 Maine Pops Concert Band April 27 Performance Now Available on Band’s YouTube Channel

The Maine Pops Concert Band’s April 27 Spring Concert – Music of War and Peace – is now posted to the Maine Pops Concert Band’s YouTube channel. The concert was performed at the Winslow Homer Center for the Arts inside Scarborough High School in Scarborough, ME.

Many thanks to videographer John Cranton and Scarborough Community Television for providing the recording. The performance has aired numerous times on Scarborough’s community access channel for those Spectrum subscribers with cable boxes in their homes.

Maine Pops Video of 35th Anniversary Spring Concert is now Available on YouTube

The 2023 Maine Pops Concert Band 35th Anniversary Spring Concert, held April 30 at Scarborough High School in Scarborough, Maine is now available on YouTube for viewing at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue5XIVAmBD4.

The Maine Pops is currently in its summer performance season, with private and public events slated through July and August. The band will begins its fall season with rehearsals starting in September at Scarborough High School, leading to the band’s 35th Anniverary Fall Concert on November 19.

Please check out our calendar for events occurring through the summer and fall of 2023.

“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.

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.