Blackley to Conduct Annual "Pops in the Park"

The Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Ashland City's Brookside Park will host its annual "Pops in the Park" concert by the Ashland Symphony Orchestra  and Ashland Area Chorus on Sunday, June 30 at 8 p.m. 

Under the direction of Dr. Ron Blackley, audience members will have the chance to sing along to popular movie musical numbers from “Mamma Mia!,” “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman.” The concert will also include several patriotic pieces in honor of Independence Day including the “Armed Forces Salute,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “America the Beautiful” and two marches by John Philip Sousa: “Semper Fidelis” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The symphony will bring back the “1812 Overture” featuring mock cannon fire from Civil War Battery D from the 1st Ohio Light Artillery. Audience members will be provided with paper bags and sparklers to set off during the performance as well.

From 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., ASO’s instrument petting zoo will be open to participants of all ages
interested in learning about different musical instruments.

Freewill donations will be collected during the performance which will benefit both the ASO and Band Shell.

In the event of inclement weather the concert will be moved to Ashland High School’s Archer
Auditorium at 8 p.m.

Salvo to Conduct His Final Community Band Concert

On Sunday evening, Leonard Salvo will take the baton for the final time, leading the Ashland Area Community Concert Band that he formed 26 years ago for the annual Father’s Day show at the Guy C. Myers Band Shell.

Signifying the end of an era, the band’s new leaders — Joseph Lewis, the director of bands at Ashland University, and Dave Wolbert, who teaches music at Ashland High School — also will conduct a couple of numbers on Sunday.

The Father’s Day concert will open the Band Shell’s Summer Concert Series. The show will start at 6 p.m. with family-friendly favorite, the Magic of Eli, followed by the Ashland Area Community Concert Band at 8 p.m.

“The thing I’m going to miss most is the interaction I have with folks in the group,” Salvo said. “Some people have been in the group 26 years. So they’re friends, basically.”

Sunday’s band concert will include lighter pieces, such as selections from “West Side Story” and “Mary Poppins Returns,” along with a personal piece for Salvo, called “Pride of the Peninsula.”

The march was written by Salvo’s college professor, Thomas Tyra, at Eastern Michigan University, where Salvo earned his bachelor’s degree in music education.

“I just want to have something in the last concert that was personal to me,” Salvo said. “He was one of my mentors. He recommended me for all the jobs I got.” 

--Times-Gazette

RSVP's Being Accepted for 1st Annual Marching Band Festival

This is an open invitation to the first annual Ashland University Festival of Bands to be held in Jack Miller Stadium on the campus of Ashland University. The event will be held on Saturday, Sep. 28 starting at 7 p.m. This is not an OMEA sanctioned or competitive event.

The evening will begin with a combined performance of the Star-Spangled Banner with all the participating bands. After that, each band will have approximately 10-15 minutes to perform their show. The evening will culminate in a final performance given by the Ashland University Eagle Marching Band and combined performances of a few marching band favorites. There will be concessions available throughout the event and the hope is to get some good film/audio of each performance.

Please R.S.V.P. as soon as possible via the information below if you can participate! It is sure to be a great performance and a good time for all. I do hope you will be able to attend.

Joe Lewis
Director of Bands, Ashland University
email: jlewisjr@ashland.edu
phone: 419.289.5132