LIVERMORE FALLS — The Kora Shriners Band, under the direction of bandmaster Jerry Brooks, will perform a number of musical pieces during a summer concert from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the Livermore Falls Gazebo.
The rain date is Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m.
The Gazebo Committee is underwriting the concert with money from a trust fund set up for community band concerts, committee member Doug Mosher said. Mosher, a retired music teacher, performed with the Shriners Band years ago.
The concert will be free for the public.
The Kora Shriners Band was established in 1929 as a continuation of what was previously the Drum and Bugle Corps, according to the band’s biography.
The band is celebrating its 85th year. Its first director was Noble Ernest Hill, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Music” throughout the state. He performed in many musical organizations, as well as serving as director, and was a major factor in the continued success of the annual Maine Music Camp for youngsters in Farmington, according to the bio.
He was proceeded by nobles Russell Jack Sr., Maurice Lane and Frank Stephens.
Brooks, the current director and also a noble, has engineering degrees from the Universities of Maine and New Hampshire. He retired as a civilian engineering senior program manager for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet in 1994 after 34 years of service, and later worked for a private Navy contractor for several years.
Brooks was appointed Kora’s bandmaster in 1993. He also directed the Westbrook City Band for over 30 years. He was principal clarinetist of the Portland Symphony’s Community Orchestra for over 25 years and plays in other municipal and Dixieland bands, as well as the Portland Commandery Band, the bio states.
The Kora Shriners Band is financially self-supporting. Besides performing at Kora ceremonials and other shrine functions, such as shrine circuses and public concerts, the band participates on weekends at summer parades all over southern Maine. The band’s concert repertoire includes classics, light classics, Broadway show tunes and marches.
Among the 19 musical pieces slated to be performed in Livermore Falls are the “Washington and Lee Swing,” “Kennebec March,” “Armed Forces on Parade,” “God Bless America,” “International Shriners March,” highlights of “The Music Man,” “Androscoggin March” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Mosher said that it will be first come, first serve for prime seating areas. People should bring chairs or blankets to sit on the grass.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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