Concert Band

It's like an orchestra, without the strings

Quiz: How well do you know American composer John Philip Sousa?

Jun 28, 2018

How well do you know American composer and band conductor John Philip Sousa? Find out with this quiz from Classical MPR and American Public Media!

Ron Nelson's "Rocky Point Holiday"

Feb 9, 2019

Rhode Island natives of a certain age wax nostalgia about Rocky Point, a popular family vacation spot on the Narragansett Bay side of Warwick, which operated from the late 1840s until its close in 1995. There was an amusement park with rides like “The Russian Toboggan,” “The Wildcat” and...Episode details...

Play

Century-old Robbinsdale City Band plays notes of the past into the future

Jun 28, 2018

Just northwest of Minneapolis lies the city of Robbinsdale, home of the Robbinsdale City Band. Over 112 years, it has played through world wars and an unending series of changes. Like the city itself, it has managed to hold onto a timeless community strength while adapting to the times. Watch a 360 video of a recent performance!

3min 34sec

How did tiny Chatfield, Minn., become home to the world's largest collection of brass band music?

Apr 9, 2018

Located in the small Minnesota city of Chatfield, the Chatfield Music Lending Library is the largest collection of brass band music available for hire in the world -- almost 100,000 pieces of music.

Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever!" March

May 14, 2019

On today’s date in 1897, John Philip Sousa was in Philadelphia and leading his band in the premiere performance of “The Stars and Stripes Forever!” Sousa wrote his most famous march on Christmas Day, 1896, in a New York hotel room—completing the score, he said, in just a couple of hours. The...Episode details...

Play

Del Tredici's In Wartime

Apr 30, 2019

On today’s date in 2003, the Wind Ensemble of the University of Texas at Austin, led by Jerry Junkin, premiered a new work for wind band by the American composer David Del Tredici. Its title was “In Wartime,” as its composition and premiere coincided with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by the...Episode details...

Play

Gould at West Point

Apr 13, 2019

In 1952, the West Point Military Band celebrated that famous military academy’s Sesquicentennial by asking prominent composers to write celebratory works to mark the occasion. Among those who responded with a new piece was the American composer Morton Gould, whose “West Point Symphony” received...Episode details...

Play

Celebrate the Fourth of July with our 4-hour, patriotic classical playlist

Jun 29, 2018

Looking for a patriotic soundtrack for your Fourth of July celebration? We've programmed a 4-hour playlist of classical and Americana music to go with whatever you're doing on Independence Day, from cooking out to watching fireworks.

3hr 56min

Corigliano at the Circus Maximus

Feb 16, 2019

Today’s date marks the birthday in 1938 of the American composer John Corigliano, and also, in 2005, of the premiere performance of his Symphony No. 3, a work scored for large wind ensemble. The premiere performance was given in Austin, Texas, by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble led by Jerry...Episode details...

Play

Giannini's Symphony No. 3

Apr 10, 2014

On today's date in 1959, the Duke University Band, under its conductor Paul Bryan, gave the official premiere performance of a new work they had commissioned: the Symphony No. 3 for concert band by the American composer, Vittorio Giannini, a noted composer of vocal music including songs and...Episode details...

Play

‹ Prev

Please support your favorite classical music

Support Composers Datebook

Support Performance Today

Support Pipedreams today

Support SymphonyCast today

Concert Band

It's like an orchestra, without the strings

Quiz: How well do you know American composer John Philip Sousa?

Ron Nelson's "Rocky Point Holiday"

Century-old Robbinsdale City Band plays notes of the past into the future

How did tiny Chatfield, Minn., become home to the world's largest collection of brass band music?

Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever!" March

Del Tredici's In Wartime

Gould at West Point

Celebrate the Fourth of July with our 4-hour, patriotic classical playlist

Corigliano at the Circus Maximus

Giannini's Symphony No. 3

You are now listening to