The Hilton-Parma Gazebo Band, under the direction of Dr. Charles P. Schmidt, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a series of free summer concerts. The concerts will be held on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: June 11, June 19, June 26, and July 10. The three June concerts will be performed at Hilton Baptist Church, 50 Lake Avenue, Hilton. The July 10 concert will be performed at Orchard Community Church, 2285 Latta Road, Greece.
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 Lionel Bart, Jack Bullock, Robert Russell Bennett, Eric Coates, Henry Fillmore, George Gershwin, Clare Grundman, Sheldon Harnick, Henry Mancini, Robert Sheldon, and Claude T. Smith among others. The band will also feature solos by Bruce Pillman on euphonium and Mary Reazor on trombone.
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 fifteenth 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 Wayne 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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