The Hilton-Parma Gazebo Band, under the direction of Dr. Charles P. Schmidt, will begin its 37th season with a concert on Wednesday, June 22, at Hilton Baptist Church, 50 Lake Avenue, Hilton. The Gazebo Band will perform free summer concerts on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on the following dates: June 22, June 29, July 6, and July 13. All concerts will be held at Hilton Baptist Church.
The band plays a wide variety of concert band literature, including traditional marches, light classics, music of Broadway and Hollywood, popular music, and patriotic music. This year the band will play works by Henry Mancini, Lerner and Loewe, Elmer Bernstein, Jule Styne, Charles Carter, Frank Erickson, Pierre LaPlante, Hoagy Carmichael, and Irving Berlin, 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 Centennial Park. The current conductor, Dr. Charles Schmidt, is in his fourteenth year of conducting the band. Mary Reazor, the last remaining charter member of the band, serves as the band’s manager, librarian, and lead trombonist.
The Gazebo Band is an all-volunteer organization that relies on donations from the community and individuals. The band is comprised of dedicated musicians from across Monroe and Orleans counties. From its beginning, the band’s purpose has been to give area adult musicians a place to enjoy their musical gifts and to share them with the community.
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