SUNDAY, AUGUST 1 CONCERTS @ 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.

The St. Joseph Municipal Band continues the 2004 summer season with its normal set of double concerts on Sunday, August 1st , at  3:30 and 7:30 p.m.  The weekly summer concerts are held at the John E. N. Howard Band Shell in downtown St. Joseph overlooked Lake Michigan.  The August 1st concerts, the 6th  of 12 double concerts scheduled for the season, will feature Dixie Detgen, principal oboist of the band, who will guest conduct, and her daughters Stacie and Kristie who will guest conduct and perform an original composition for two French horns and band conducted by the composer.   Also featured as part of the concert will be a clarinet solo.

Also included in each week of the 2004 Concert series will be an update of the donations for the half million dollar John E. N. Howard Band Shell Renovation project announced for this summer, including the reading of names of this week’s donations.

Director Dr. Donald Moely, announced the concert begins with a “Our Flirtations March” by John Philip Sousa.  Moely then brings forth Alan Mitchell, who will conduct the band in an accompaniment to Byron Graves, of Berrien Center, who will perform a clarinet solo, “Concert Fantasia di Concerto.”  The piece is based on motives from Verdi’s Opera ‘Rigoletto.’ 

Born in Spokane, Washington, Clarinet soloist Byron Graves,  is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance and an Associate of Science in Business Administration. Past teachers include Bruce Wilson, Dean Boward, and Phil Barham, and he currently studies with Jonathan Gunn, principal clarinet of the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic. In addition to playing with the Municipal Band, Byron is principal clarinet of both the Andrews University Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra. When he is not playing the clarinet, Byron enjoys backpacking, mountaineering, and canoeing. He plans on pursuing a Master's degree in either music or business.

Guest conductor for the clarinet solo will be Alan Mitchell , who is an Assistant Professor of Music at Andrews University. His teaching responsibilities include the Wind Symphony and music education courses for the B.M. and M.M. in Music Education degrees.  Mr. Mitchell holds both a B.A. degree and M.A. degrees in Music from California State University at Long Beach. He is currently a candidate for a D.M.A. degree in Wind Conducting/Music Education at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. His major conducting professors were Eugene Corporon and Dr. Mallory Thompson. He has received additional conducting studies from Michael Haithcock, Ron Johnson, John Whitwell, and Allan McMurray.

The next portion of the program features Dixie Detgen, as guest conductor and her two daughters, Stacie and Kristie Detgen, both French horn performers in the band.  Mrs. Detgen guest conducts “Freischutz Quickstep” by Claudio Grafulla.

This is followed by an original work “Rondo for two horns and band,” written by member Jerry Lackey, principal Tuba of the band, who wrote this duet specifically for this occasion and Mr. Lackey will guest conduct his composition.  In the work he incorporated a section where the two horns are intertwined with a soloistic oboe line performed by Mrs. Detgen.  The program follows with Dixie Detgen conducting “The Fighting 99th Concert March,” by William Camphouse.  Next guest conductor Stacie Detgen directs “American Song Book” arranged by Kressler followed by a Karl King  march “Broadway One Step.” 

Guest conductor Dixie Detgen retired after 29 years of teaching instrumental music in the Buchanan Community Schools.  Since retiring, she has developed a business, Detgen Seminars and Clinics, helping young band directors develop their skills and speaking to college music education classes and local, state and national conventions of instrumental music teachers.  She has been an adjudicator for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association for over 40 years, judging both Solo and Ensemble and Band and Orchestra Festivals.  She serves her church as organist, plays in several local bands and orchestras and teaches private oboe at the Salvation Army Arts Center and in her home.   Dixie was selected as Band Director of the Year (1996) by the membership of MSBOA.

French horn performer and guest conductor Stacie Detgen is in her 17th year of teaching instrumental music education and her 12th year at Charlotte Middle School.  She is a native of Buchanan, MI.  Stacie is a graduate of Michigan State University and has a Master of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.  This is her 25th year of membership with the St. Joseph Municipal Band.  She has been a member of the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra, the Lansing Concert Band, has soloed with the Meridian Community Band, and has been featured with the MSU Alumni Touring Band traveling in Europe.  She is active in performing with Gazebo Brass Quintet and solos and participates in the Charlotte Lawrence Avenue United Methodist Church orchestra and brass choir. 

Kristie Detgen, who performs in the French horn duet and recites the poem in “Lest We Forget,”  is a graduate of Buchanan High School, Lake Michigan College and Davenport University in Grand Rapids, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration.  She is an eight year veteran of the United States Army, assigned as a French horn player at Ft. Gordon, GA and Ft. Lee, VA.  Currently she teaches private French horn students and has been a member of the St. Joseph Municipal Band for 12 years.

Featured guest conductor and composer of the Rondo for Two Horns and Band will be Jerry Lackey, who earned his Bachelor and Master degrees in music education from Indiana University. He retired this past school year after teaching band and orchestra in the South Bend Schools for 39 years. Mr. Lackey directs the IUSB Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble and is the tubist with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. The Houston Symphony, Utah Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic have recorded many of his pops orchestra arrangements for the Pro Arte CD label. His composition Jazz Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra has often been performed by noted tuba players in the USA as well as in Japan. He continues to be commissioned to write and arrange for orchestras and bands, several of which the St. Joseph Municipal Band has performed. This year Rondo for Two Horns and Band was commissioned by Dixie and Corbin Detgen for their daughters Stacie and Kristie.