MELBOURNE, FL, August 28, 2010 – The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB) kicks off a bold and innovative new season September 29 and 30 with “American Portraits,” a concert built around music by our nation’s greatest composers. The stirring sounds of Sousa, Gershwin and Bernstein will fill the Melbourne Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m. both evenings. There is no charge for the concert and tickets are not required.

The concert also will include American Salute by Morton Gould, Promenade by pops composer Leroy Anderson, and Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett.

Pre-concert entertainment will be provided by Robin and Eddy and The Secrets, starting at 6:45 p.m.

The MMB’s new season promises to engage current fans and create new ones with a diverse selection of music for all ages.  The November concert, “Cartoon’s Greatest Hits,” will feature music we came to love as we watched cartoons, while “Journey to the Stars,” in February, will showcase the dramatic music of Star Wars.

“Our goal is to greatly expand the musical offerings of the MMB and reach out to more area residents and visitors with diverse tastes,” said Principal Conductor Staci Cleveland. “I’m truly excited by the programs we have put together and I know that our band members are looking forward to performing them.”

For more information about the new season or the band, call 724-0555 or visit melbournemunicipalband.org.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band

The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

Former Melbourne Municipal Band associate conductor Staci Cleveland takes up the baton tonight as she assumes the post of principal conductor.

Cleveland will lead the band in the last of the “Not-in-the-Park” picnic concerts tonight and Thursday at Melbourne Auditorium.

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Staci Cleveland makes her debut tonight as principal conductor for the Melbourne Municipal Band. She will lead the band in its last “Not in the Park” picnic concert starting at 6:30 p.m. today and Thursday in the Melbourne Auditorium.

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The Melbourne Municipal Band has reason to celebrate.

The group has just named Staci Cleveland of Melbourne as their new conductor, and the summer ‘Not-in-the-Park’ picnic concert, on Aug. 11-12, will mark her debut in that post.

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MELBOURNE, FL, July 14, 2010 – Staci Cleveland, a Melbourne Municipal Band musician and board member for nearly 10 years, has been named Principal Conductor of the musical group and will lead the band in its last ‘not-in-the-park’ picnic concerts of the season, August 11 and 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Melbourne Auditorium.

The concerts will feature a selection of band members’ favorite tunes. Special pre-show entertainment will be provided by Gosia & Ali, a highly regarded, Gainesville-based musical group that performs light jazz and pop music.

Cleveland was named Associate Conductor of the band in early 2008.  She has a Master’s degree in Conducting from the University of Florida, where she studied with Dr. David Waybright, and a degree in Music Education. Cleveland taught middle school bands in Volusia and Orange Counties and is active in various musical ensembles in Brevard County, including the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, the Central Florida Chamber Winds and the Space Coast Flute Orchestra.

“Staci has been instrumental in many improvements to the MMB program over the years,” said Anne Adams, chair of the band’s Board of Trustees. “She has conducted many concerts in recent years that have always been well-received by our audience members, such as her Celtic concerts and movie-themed concerts, among others.”

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to lead the MMB,” said Cleveland.  “It has been very rewarding for me to work with the members of this ensemble over the years, and I know we are going to work hard together going forward to take the band to the next level. I am really looking forward to the 2010-2011 concert season.”

Cleveland plans to seek professional, amateur and school-aged musicians to play an active role in MMB concerts in the coming season.  She also plans to further enhance the MMB’s goal of promoting music education in our community.

In order to make the most of the ‘not-in-the-park’ picnic concert theme, long tables will be set up to enable a ‘dinner and show’ experience and audience members can bring along their picnic dinners. Drinks, ice and snacks will be available for purchase at the concession table.

There is no charge for the concert and tickets are not required. Call 724-0555 or visit melbournemunicipalband.org for more information.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band

The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

MELBOURNE, FL, March 23, 2010 – The patriotic sounds of the man dubbed “America’s first music superstar” will ring loud and clear when the Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB) presents a “Sousa Style Concert” on Wednesday, April 21st and Thursday, April 22nd at 7:30 p.m. in the Melbourne Auditorium, 625 E Hibiscus Blvd.

It is the second in a series of concerts this year during which the band is auditioning candidates for the position of Principal Conductor and will feature Aaron Collins as the guest conductor. Collins is a composer and the conductor of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra.

The program will include very challenging and popular works, including Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Overture, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, William Schuman’s Chester, and two works by one of America’s most popular contemporary composers, Frank Ticheli. Interspersed with these selections will be a variety of Sousa Marches, a program style that was typical of Sousa concerts.

David Ewing and Phillip Vu, musicians with the MMB, will be featured as soloists on the program.

Sousa was the creator of the American Pops concert and was the model for Arthur Fiedler when he started the Boston Pops. His concerts were a blend of light classics, new works, virtuoso soloists, and Sousa’s own inspiring marches, blended by a master showman. He is remembered for many patriotic songs and marches, including the celebrated Stars and Stripes Forever.

There is no charge for the concert and tickets are no longer required. Doors open at 6:30. Call 724-0555 or visit melbournemunicipalband.org for more information.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band
The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

The summer music program will be held at Melbourne High School, 74 Bulldog Blvd., Melbourne.  There will be a concert on the final day of the program, July 29th at 6:00 PM at the Melbourne Civic Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne.  We ask parents to bring a covered dish to share at the conclusion of the concert.  Drinks will be provided by the Melbourne Municipal Band.

The students attend the program free of charge.  The cost of the lesson book and the first month rental of the instrument for those students beginning a new instrument will be paid for.  Parents or Guardians are responsible for the rental after the first month.  The rental of the instrument is applied toward the purchase of the instrument.

If you have an instrument in your home that your son or daughter would like to play, please take it to one of the music stores listed to make sure it is in good working order.

Rental information is available for the following music stores:

Rentals will be directly through the music stores.  Lesson books will be given to the students on the first day of the summer program.

If you are interested, you can download the registration form for the Summer Youth Band.  Please fill it out and return it by Friday, June 25, 2010 to the address on the form.

If you have any questions about the Summer Youth Band Program, please call 321-956-2283 or email Art Martin at artmartin27@gmail.com.

MELBOURNE, FL, January 20, 2010 – The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB) will feature “A Celtic Concert” celebrating the musical legacy of Ireland and Scotland at 7:30 p.m. February 16 and 17 at the Melbourne Auditorium. It is the first in a series of concerts this year in which the band is auditioning candidates for the position of Principal Conductor.

Staci Cleveland, currently associate conductor, will audition for the principal spot during this event, leading the band in performing a variety of new selections, including a suite from the popular Riverdance program that contains airs, jigs and a percussion feature called “Thunder and Lightening.”

The program also will showcase new music that recently was added to the band’s library – thanks to the donations of audience members – such as “Be Thou My Vision,” a beautiful arrangement of a hymn tune which is derived from an old Irish ballad.

The band’s trombone section will be featured in a traditional rendition of “Loch Lomond,” arranged by one of the band’s newest members, Jim McCreary.  It is dedicated to the memory of Tim Hartselle, a former member of the MMB trombone section who recently passed away.

Special pre-show entertainment will begin at 6:45 with “Kindred Spirits,” a Celtic band. The MMB’s Sunshine Brass Quintet will provide intermission entertainment.

There is no charge for the concert and tickets are no longer required. The move is part of the MMB’s goal to make concert attendance easy for its audience and to save costs and eliminate the environmental impact of ticket printing. Call 724-0555 or visit www.mmband.org for more information.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band

The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

At-A-Glance

• Established in 1965 with 16 members and has provided free concerts for Brevard County audiences for 43 years, creating a sense of community in the Melbourne area and making high-quality music available to many people and families who can not otherwise afford to attend live concerts.
• Today, MMB has more than 80 members and a dedicated team of volunteers. They are motivated solely by a love of music, a desire to perform public service, and their wish to make a positive contribution to the community.
• Some 30% are professional musicians; many performed in military bands and in well-known musical groups including the Lawrence Welk Orchestra
• Members include engineers, teachers, business owners, managers, accountants, homemakers, and retirees
• During a typical year, MMB serves some 69,000 concert attendees, and its members volunteer 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time. The value of this in-kind service to the community is between $500,000 and $1 million.
• MMB also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts, ceremonial performances, and involvement in educational activities for young musicians such as the Police Athletic League (PAL)/MMB Summer Music Camp
• MMB offers a varied program of classical music, show-tunes, patriotic music, big band jazz, marches, and sing-a-longs MMB retains a professional conductor and a librarian
• The MMB is a 501c3 Not For Profit Corporation

Goals

• To promote the enjoyment of quality band music
• To contribute to the American cultural experience through concerts and patriotic music
• To give free concerts to our community
• To promote the appreciation of Big Band Jazz through Swingtime concerts and dances
• To contribute to the musical education of our members and audiences

MMB Groups

• Concert Band (with more than 80 regular members)
• Swingtime Jazz Band (playing “Big Band” music from the 1920s to the 1970s)
• Sunshine Brass Quintet
• The Oh Golly Dixieland Jazz Band

MMB History

The Melbourne Municipal Band has been a source of enjoyment to our community since its inception on July 22, 1965. On that date, 16 musicians gathered in the Melbourne Tourist Center with A. V. “Chick” Catterton, a musicloving Melbourne resident who had conceived of the idea of a city band. In 1985, Catterton retired and William A. Clark became the interim director.

In 1987, Clair Christy was selected to be Principal Conductor. Christy’s enthusiasm pushed the organization to excel and attract more than 80 members. Many accomplished musicians choose to retire here, in part, due to the band and its auxiliary groups.

MMB Swingtime was formed in 1988 by Christy. This popular “Big Band” puts on a dance nearly every month, and it serves as the main fundraising arm of MMB. Thanks to a large, anonymous contribution and massive  fund-raising efforts led by the then-President of the band, Julia D. Good, a large rehearsal hall was built in 1995. In 2007, the band honored her by naming the rehearsal hall after her.

The band has played in many Central and South Florida cities for parades, dedications, Bicentennial events, NASA, Third Century America (Cape Canaveral), grand openings, ball games, benefit concerts for high school bands to procure uniforms, Municipal and Chamber of Commerce activities, senior citizen projects and Honor America projects and events.

For more information, visit www.mmband.org or call the band office at: 724-0555

MELBOURNE, FL, November 23, 2009 – The Melbourne Municipal Band will feature the best-loved sounds of the season at its ‘Holiday Favorites’ concerts at 7:30 p.m. December 15 and 16 at the Melbourne Auditorium. There is no charge for the concert and tickets are no longer required.

The concerts also will serve as a collection point for two local charitable organizations – 4 The Kids of Brevard and the South Brevard Sharing Center. Concert attendees are invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a non-perishable food item.

Associate Conductor Staci Cleveland will lead the band in a variety of holiday selections ranging from the popular ‘Home for Christmas’ and ‘Sleigh Ride,’ to the ‘Nutcracker Suite,’ the ‘Festive Sounds of Hanukah,’ and young vocalist Jeremy Silliman singing ‘Some Things for Christmas’ and ‘Walking on Air.’ Santa will make an appearance at the end of the concert. Pre-show and intermission entertainment will be presented by the Oh Golly Dixieland Band.

Holiday Dance ~ For those who want to get up and dance to the sounds of the holidays, the Swingtime Jazz band will present its annual Holiday Ball on Friday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Melbourne Auditorium. Dance tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door. Tables can be reserved in advance for groups of six more by calling the band office.

The program will feature a variety of selections – swing, waltz, polkas, Latin sounds, some rock tunes, and seasonal favorites. Popular local vocalists Sally Hart and Len Fallen will perform. The band auxiliary will have a concession table with snacks, soft drinks, bottled water and ice for sale.

Those who would like to brush up on their dancing skills can do so from 6 to 7 p.m., when Laura Beers (www.adancersvoice.com or 751-4766) offers lessons. Cost is $5, payable to the instructor.

More information about these events, dance ticket locations, and the band is available online at www.mmband.org or by calling the band office at 724-0555.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band

The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Swingtime is the MMB’s 20-piece jazz band, playing music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The for-hire band features saxophones, trombones, trumpets, a piano, guitar, bass and trap set, along with two vocalists and a conductor/announcer.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814