In celebrating the 250th anniversary of America, the Wheaton Municipal Band is thinking big, as in featuring 250 piccolos to perform the climactic solo in John Philip Sousa’s famous march, Stars and Stripes Forever.
“We are seeking current and former students, professional musicians, community musicians, marching band alumni, military musicians, music educator and anyone who enjoys playing the piccolo to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event,” says Dr. Bruce Moss, now in his 47th year of directing the award-winning ensemble.
This unique performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 in Edman Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College. The only rehearsal will take place that afternoon, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. Check in between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The band will perform the arrangement of the march as played by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
Sign up to play, here. Any questions, contact Michael Barrera.
In its description of the upcoming performance, band officials describe Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever as a stirring march that has become synonymous with patriotism: “With the possible exception of The Star Spangled Banner, no musical composition has done more to arouse the patriotic spirit of America than this, John Philip Sousa’s most beloved composition. Symbolic of flag-waving in general, it has been used with considerable effectiveness to generate patriotic feeling ever since its introduction in Philadelphia on May 14, 1897.”
Some of the woodwind players who play both flute and piccolo
Featuring 250 piccolos in this famous Sousa march would quite possibly set a record, Dr. Moss says, but the reason for rounding up so many goes beyond that. Over its 97 seasons, the Wheaton Municipal Band has set the bar high, playing ambitious works, including many Sousa marches, while maintaining its first-class sound and musicianship.
Credit Dr. Moss with maintaining that standard. He first began conducting the Wheaton Municipal Band in 1980
Dr. Bruce Moss talks to the audience in 2021, when the city opened its new bandshell.
while on the music faculty of York High School in Elmhurst. He continued returning to Wheaton in the summer months to conduct the ensemble even when his career took him to become band conductor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
As for why Dr. Moss keeps coming back, it’s simple, he says: “It’s a very good example of the joy of music. That’s why I keep coming back. The players are serious about playing well and we keep trying to make it better.”
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