The Hilton-Parma Gazebo Band, under the direction of Dr. Charles P. Schmidt, will begin its 35th season with a concert on Wednesday, June 20 at the Hilton Village Community Center adjacent to Centennial Park. The Gazebo Band’s series of free public concerts in Hilton will be held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (rain or shine) on the following dates: June 20, June 27, July 11, July 18, and July 25. The annual patriotic concert in Hilton will be presented on Tuesday, July 3. On Wednesday, July 11, the band will perform at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on East Avenue in Hilton. The concert will be at 7 p.m. in the church sanctuary. On Monday, July 30, the band will play a public concert at Hilton East, on East Avenue in Hilton. The concert will be held in the Court Yard and will begin at 6:45 p.m. In the event of rain, the concert at Hilton East will be cancelled. The public is cordially invited to bring lawn chairs to enjoy concerts at both the Village Community Center and Hilton East.
The band plays an exciting variety of musical styles, including traditional marches, light classics, popular music, Broadway and movie themes, patriotic music, as well as solo features. This year the band will be playing works by Malcom Arnold, Elmer Bernstein, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Frank Loesser, Henry Fillmore, Edwin Franko Goldman, Shelley Hanson, Lerner and Loewe, Sammy Nestico, Arthur Pryor, and Jan Van der Roost, among others.
The Gazebo Band was founded in 1984 and was first directed by Hilton Music Educator, Gordon Bascom. The original group of approximately a dozen players performed for the Village of Hilton Centennial celebration and a larger group performed for the dedication of the Gazebo at Centennial Park. The band’s current conductor, Dr. Charles Schmidt, is in his tenth year of directing the band. Mary Reazor, the last remaining charter member of the band, functions as the band’s manager, music librarian, and lead trombonist.
The Gazebo Band is an all-volunteer organization that relies primarily on donations from the community. The band is comprised of many dedicated musicians from across Monroe and Orleans counties, who rehearse from March 1 through July in order to make the free summer concerts possible. In recent years, the band has expanded its schedule to include a fall rehearsal season and holiday concerts. From its beginning, the band’s primary purpose has been to give area adult musicians a place to enjoy their musical gifts and at the same time share them with the broader community.
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