In addition to performing as a full wind ensemble for seasonal and holiday concerts, the Maine Pops Concert Band has expanded its mission to conduct small ensemble performances to serve our regional area. These ensembles not only provide outreach opportunities to connect with various civic, educational, and religious groups, but also provides musical opportunities to Maine Pops musicians looking to build cohesiveness within their sections and expand on their performance experiences beyond the concert hall.
In 2025, the Maine Pops Concert Band expanded from three ensembles to nine, forming the following small groups that will expand our presence in the Southern Maine region. The groups are:
1) Quince – The Maine Pops Woodwind Quintet (flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and French Horn)
2) The Maine Pops Flute Ensemble – open to all Maine Pops flute players
3) The Beach Street Big Band (four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, drummer, bassist, guitarist and keyboardist)
4) Clarinet Chromatics (clarinet choir) – open to all Maine Pops clarinet players
5) Maine Pops Saxophone Ensemble – open to all Maine Pops saxophone players
6) Uniquehorns (French horn ensemble) – open to all Maine Pops French horn players
7) Polished Brass (brass ensemble) – open to all Maine Pops brass players
8) Harbor Brass Quintet (brass quintet) – 2 trumpets, French horn, euphonium, trombone
9) Tubby Tones (tuba/euphonium) ensemble – open to all Maine Pops tuba and euphonium players
The Maine Pops Concert Band ensembles do not charge a performance fee, but do accept voluntary donations to help in the funding and acquisition of music to update and expand the small ensemble library.
The Beach Street Big Band
The Beach Street Big Band rehearses on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the First Parish Congregational Church, 12 Beach Street in Saco, ME. The ensemble plays traditional big band and swing music from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, plus more contemporary swing music. The band made its performance debut on December 13, 2024 as part of The Alumni Band’s Christmas concert in Biddeford, ME, then held its initial solo performance on December 17 at Keeley’s Banquet Center in Portland.
Swing band organizers have filled positions for a traditional big band based on the instrumentation below:
4 trumpets
3 tenor trombones
1 bass trombone
2 alto saxophones
2 tenor saxophones
1 baritone saxophone
1 drummer with full set up
1 keyboard player
1 rhythm guitar player
1 string bass or bass guitar player
1 or 2 vocalists
Alternates/substitute musicians are being recruited from within the Maine Pops.
The Maine Pops Flute Choir
Formed in October of 2022, the Maine Pops Flute Choir consists of up to eleven flautists who made their performance debut during the band’s December 2022 holiday benefit concerts at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland and at Mountainside Community Church in West Falmouth. The choir uses a variety of flutes – concert flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute – to perform classical, contemporary, and religious works written specifically for flute ensemble. In the three years since its founding, the flute choir has performed at retirement homes and during church services in the Portland area.
Quince – The Maine Pops Woodwind Quintet
In January 2023, some of the principal players in the Maine Pops formed a woodwind quintet of flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon. The quintet began playing at retirement communities that same month. The repertoire ranges from classical music by Barthe, Colomer, and Faure, to popular tunes including The Wizard of Oz, Teddy Bears’ Picnic, the Beatles’ When I’m Sixty-Four, and some original compositions. It is fun to hear the different sounds of the instruments, working together or playing off each other, creating a special musical experience that surprises and delights.
Uniquehorns – The Maine Pops French Horn Ensemble
A new ensemble making community inroads quickly is “Uniquehorns,” the Maine Pops Concert Band’s French horn ensemble. Currently comprised of seven French Horn players, Uniquehorns made its debut on May 28, 2025 as part of the band’s inaugural small ensembles concert in Saco. Since then, the ensemble has “sailed” into community performance, performing its first solo gig from a pontoon boat on Raymond’s Panther Pond. The ensemble looks forward to encore performances on the pond in the future. The group conducts rehearsals on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7 p.m. at Scarborough High School when school is in session.
Harbor Brass Quintet
The Harbor Brass Quintet was one of the more recent small group ensembles formed from members of the Maine Pops Concert Band. Consisting of two trumpets, one trombone, one French horn and one euphonium, the group is hoping to perform in its first gig in the near future. The current repertoire includes traditional brass pieces like Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring and Bach Contata 118; Canzona Bergmasca, a baroque Italian dance of the 17th century and a wonderful Scott Joplin number, Bethena Waltz. More recent pieces such as Danny Boy, Simple Gifts and West Side Story songs are currently being added.
Polished Brass -The Maine Pops Brass Ensemble
Polished Brass is one of the larger entities within the Maine Pops’ collection of musical ensembles. This open brass group brings together trumpets, French horns, euphoniums, trombones, and tubas. Launched in January 2025, Polished Brass made its formal debut on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, during services at First Parish Congregational Church in Saco. A few weeks later, Polished Brass performed at the Maine Pops Concert Band’s inaugural Small Ensembles concert on May 28. Polished Brass typically rehearses on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at Scarborough High School when school is in session. The group is building its repertoire and looks forward to bringing brass music to a variety of venues across Southern Maine.
Maine Pops Saxophone Ensemble
Although they have yet to perform in public, the Maine Pops Concert Band’s saxophone ensemble has been working on music since forming in January of 2025. The ensemble is an open group with Maine Pops musicians performing with potential for sax players on Eb sopranino, Bb soprano, Eb alto, Bb tenor, Eb baritone, and Bb bass. The group traditionally rehearses Wednesdays between 5:30 and 7 p.m. at Scarborough High School, prior to the concert band’s full session when school is in session. The ensemble continues to build its repertoire for potential small group performances at Southern Maine venues.
Tubby Tones – The Maine Pops Tuba Ensemble
The Maine Pops Concert band’s tuba and euphonium sections are well represented in the small ensemble, Tubby Tones – a group that follows the traditions of low brass ensembles throughout the country. Tubas, sousaphones, and euphonium of all sizes are welcome to perform in this ensemble, which formed in January of 2025. The group held its initial performance on May 28 at the Maine Pops Small Ensemble concert in Saco, ME. They rehearse Thursday evenings in South Portland from 6:30-8:30 pm during the school year.
Clarinet Chromatics
The Clarinet Chromatics made their performance debut on May 28, 2025, as part of the Maine Pops Concert Band Small Ensembles Concert held in Saco, Maine. The ensemble formed in January of 2025 with members performing on Bb soprano clarinet, Eb alto clarinet, and Bb bass clarinet. The Chromatics are building their repertoire for potential small group performances at Southern Maine venues and invite new clarinetists of any type join the group!
Organizations looking to request a Maine Pops Concert Band musical ensemble should contact president@mainepops.org.