The St. Joseph Municipal Band 2003 summer concert series includes concerts this Sunday, August 13 at the normal 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the John E. N. Howard Band Shell in downtown St. Joseph overlooked Lake Michigan.

Director Dr. Moely indicated that this week’s concerts will begin with different opening ceremony in that the vocal soloist for the concert will sing an extended arrangement of the National Anthem originally recorded by Sandi Patty. This will be followed by the regularly performed "Strike up the Band." will is performed each Sunday as part of the opening ceremony for each concert.

The concert then begins with Fred Null’s march "Michigan Triumphal." The is then followed by a trumpet trombone duet performed by Craig Heitger and Gary Cooper, the principal trumpet and trombone players of the band, conducted by Principal Tuba player of the band, Jerry Lackey. They will perform "Fandango," composed by Joseph Turrin.

Craig Heitger received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Trumpet Performance at Indiana University, Bloomington and South Bend. His primary trumpet instructors were: William Adam, Bloomington, Indiana; William Scarlett, of the Chicago Symphony. Mr. Heitger is principal trumpet of the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra. He plays in area orchestras, bands, churches, and has lead the Symphony Brass Quintet for nearly 30 years. Craig teaches private trumpet lessons for Bethel College, Indiana University South Bend, St. Mary=s College and in several public schools in the Michiana area. He has enjoyed playing in this band for nearly 30 years and performed with the band at the previous band shell site, before 1970.

GARY A. COOPER attended Lake Michigan College, Indiana University of South Bend and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Cooper has played with the Michigan Opera Orchestra as well as the South Bend, Kalamazoo and Chicago Civic Symphonies and sang in the Chicago Symphony Chorus. He has performed as a soloist with Southwestern Michigan Symphony, Elkhart Symphonies as well as the St Joseph Municipal Band and sings in a chamber vocal group called Opus Nine. Cooper is Artist in Residence in the St. Joseph and Lakeshore Public Schools. He also teaches at the CARE Arts Center for the Salvation Army and teaches private lessons. Cooper is an active clinician and soloist in the Midwest region.

Featured guest conductor for this concert is Jonathan Korzun. He will direct Sousa’s "Jack Tar March," "Music from Robin Hood," by Michael Kamen, and El Relicario, a Paso Double, by Jose Padilla.

Dr. Jonathan Korzun is starting his tenth year as Director of Bands at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, Michigan, where his is Chairman of Fine and Performing Arts. Guest artists booked by Dr. Korzun at SMC concerts have included Clark Terry, Ed Shaunessey and Danny Barber. On April 3, 1999, the SMC Bands premiered three new works, one for each band) by composer Stephen Bulla. This marks the first time a college has simultaneously commissioned works from one composer for Symphonic Band, Brass Band and Jazz Ensemble. An outgrowth of the S.M.C. Community Brass Band, Dr. Korzun founded and directs the Round Oak Cornet Band, a small brass band that performs nineteenth century American Brass band music on authentic mid nineteenth century instruments. Dr. Korzun received his B.A. with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa, in Music Education and M.A. in Music Theory/Composition from Rutgers University (New Jersey), and his Ed.D in Music Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has taught conducting the University of Illinois, was associate director of bands at Rutgers University and has taught grades 7-12 band/choir in New Jersey. He is active as a trombone player, clinician and guest conductor

The concert then features it’s guest vocal soloist Brinden Brown singing "West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein. Brinden Brown is returning for her fourth summer appearance with the St. Joe Municipal Band. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, she attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York and Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana. She has performed all over the United States with a wide repertoire of Art Songs, Opera, Musical Theater, Early Music, Jazz and Cop0ntemporary Christian . Brinden currently resided in Cleveland, Ohio. She performs with the Cleveland Opera and is a member of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Early Music Ensemble.

The band concludes the concert with answering a request by performing "Big Band Polka," a collection of favorite polkas by Jerry Nowak. A Henry Fillmore march "Golden Friendships" concludes the concert.

The concerts are each Sunday at 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. and last about one hour. The band is in the part of their season with concerts each Sunday until August 31, and then the season concludes with Monday, September 1, labor day concerts which conclude the season. There is no admission for the concerts.