It is a pleasure to take the podium this June with the Melbourne Municipal Band. Melbourne has become my second home and will eventually be my permanent home.

My wife and I have been vacationing in Brevard county for nearly 25 years so it was only natural that we bought a home here in 2008.  In so doing, I have become part of a group of band directors who live in the Indian River Colony Club.  Among the group is Derek Stannard, retired Director of Music and Commanding Officer of the National Band and Orchestra of Canada; Allen Beck, retired Director of the United States Navy Band; and Hal Gibson, retired Commander of the United States Army Field Band.

I currently serve as chairman of the School of Music at Butler University in Indianapolis.  My “Hoosier” roots led me to pick a concert theme with an Indiana flavor.  My first thought turned to Cole Porter, one of Indiana’s greatest composers and lyricists.

As I began to put the program together I wanted to have a variety of musical styles, not just tunes by Cole.  So, I turned to the music of his contemporaries as well as the music he probably listened to during his life.

The program will contain the French opera overture “Phedre” by Massenet, in recognition of Porters years in France which included service in the French Foreign Legion during World War I.  Additional musical selections will include works by Irving Berlin and fellow “Hoosier” Hoagy Carmichael.

A special feature of the concert will be guest artist Zak Tschiniak.  Zak is a native of Cole Porter’s home town, Peru, Indiana.  Each year he performs at the Cole Porter Festival in honor of the composer’s birthday.  Zak is a recent graduate of the School of Music at Butler and will be coming straight to Melbourne following his performances at this year’s festival.

No band concert would be complete without a march.  When Cole was growing up in Peru, Indiana he would have been witness to one of the great circus towns in America, second only to Sarasota.  This connection caused me to select “The Viking March” by one of America’s great circus band conductors, Karl King.  Anyone from Indiana will recognize the tune as the Indiana University fight song.

I am excited to guest conduct this wonderful band and hope to have many opportunities to be involved with them in the future.

I hope you enjoy ANYTHING GOES!