Brazil band featured in Greencastle performance

Monday, July 9, 2007

Brazil band featured in Greencastle performance

The Brazil Concert Band, under the direction of Matthew S. Huber, will perform at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle on the north side of the DePauw campus at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Admission is free courtesy of the Greencastle Civic League.

The 75 member Brazil Concert Band traces its roots to the year 1858 making it one of the oldest continuous community bands in the nation. The BCB performs 17 concerts each season, with 13 at Forest Park and one each in Rockville, Gosport, Terre Haute and Greencastle.

In 2006, the BCB was presented the Sudler Silver Scroll Historic Community Band Award by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

The BCB's first road trip was to Illinois in 1858 where it performed for the Lincoln Douglas Debates. In recent years, the band has performed in Washington DC, Disney World, New Orleans and New York City.

Director Huber has been leader since 1982. He is the BCB's longest serving conductor and is a commissioned Kentucky Colonel and recipient of the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal from the Sons of the American Revolution as a result of his work with the Brazil Concert Band.

He is also a teacher of 32 years for the Greencastle Community Schools.

Several of his friends, fellow educators and former students from Putnam County play in the BCB. Among them are Marcia Boswell, Rhonda Hine, John Boruff, Lucy Neal, Alice Greenburg, Kristin Field, Emma Kaiser, Heidi Ellison, Troy Cummings, Gary Van Middlesworth, Allen and Jarred Basore, Jeff Shively, Dr. Daryl Hodges, Dr. Carrie Klaus, Dr. Kelley Hall, Kirk and Joy Frederick, John and Janelle Huber, Chris Sanders, Dr. Bob Shobe and Liz Poor.

Under Huber's direction, the BCB has recorded two CDs -- "Jewell of the Wabash" and "The Brazil Special." Both have sold worldwide with critical acclaim. The BCB will offer them for sale to the public at the concert.

Tuesday's concert will include "The Fourth of July" by Cacavas, "The Blue and the Gray" by Grundman, Broadway selections from "Chicago" and "Guys and Dolls", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Pumpkin Center Cornet Band" by Jewell, "America the Beautiful" by Dragon and marches by John Philip Sousa.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: