“Welcome back!” is the vibe as the Sequim City Band returns to live concerts. Under the direction of Tyler Benedict, the band resumes its full Concerts at the James season — the first summer series since 2019 — with a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at the James Center for the Performing Arts, 350 N. Blake Ave.
Attendees enter at the Water Reuse Demonstration Site entrance off North Blake Ave in Sequim for free parking and the outdoor stage. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy live music with the Olympic Mountains as a scenic backdrop.
The band will tip its proverbial hat to honor John Williams’ 90th birthday with the arrangement “John Williams in Concert,” a piece that includes “Theme from Jaws,” “Imperial March” and “Cantina Band” from the Star Wars franchise, and “Olympic Spirit” from the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
The long Broadway career of lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who passed away at age 91 in November 2021, will be represented by “Send in the Clowns” from the musical “A Little Night Music.”
The range of music in this concert includes a trumpet trio in front of the band performing the energetic “Bugler’s Holiday”by Leroy Anderson. Big band music is also featured with “Duke Ellington in Concert” including the chair-dancing favorites “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Caravan” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”
To keep the energy, the band turns to music from two American march kings, namely John Philip Sousa and Karl King.
Announcer and vocalist for the concert is Vicki Helwick, a music educator, who sings with the Peninsula Singers and the Port Angeles Symphony Chorus.
The Sequim City Band, an all-volunteer community concert band, was formed in 1992 with 14 instrumental musicians, and now boasts more than 70 musicians, with 55-65 on stage at most concerts. The group has members from Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks, Port Townsend and Port Hadlock, and hosts soloists, small ensembles, other concert bands and orchestras.
The band, a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 who has an Indoor Concert series in addition to the Concert at the James season, is running a capital campaign to enlarge its rehearsal space.
Learn more about the band, including how to financially support the band’s mission and building program, by visiting sequimcityband.org. Leave a message there or look for the band on Facebook, and check out KSQM 91.5 FM for concert news.
Photo by Richard Greenway/Sequim City Band Sequim City Band members rehearse on April 27 for their upcoming concert, scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at the James Center for the Performing Arts.
