Burlington Iowa Municipal Band

The Burlington Municipal Band plays a one hour concert each week during the summer. Most of our concerts take place at the band shell in beautiful Crapo Park, overlooking the Mississippi River. While the band concerts begin at 7:30 PM, there is occasionally other entertainment preceding the concert, and families are encouraged to come early to enjoy the fine summer evening in the park.

Occasionally inclement weather forces the cancellation of our concerts. News of concert cancellations is broadcast on a number of local radio stations, and many of our concerts are broadcast live over KBUR at 1490 on your AM dial. New for 2001, concert cancellations will also be posted here on this web site.

We are interested in finding additional photos of the band or band members which have historic or human interest value to include on this web page. If you have such a photo or photos, and would be willing to share them, please contact Jim Priebe at 752-7305. You will, of course, get the photo back unharmed, and we will gladly credit our source.

The Burlington (Iowa) Municipal Band is a community concert band which has served and enriched the life of this city for seventy years. The band's first concert was presented in Crapo Park in May of 1927 after the citizens of Burlington had expressed the desire that such a band be formed. The band's roots extend back to the nineteenth century since it was formed through the combining of the existing Orchard City Band and the privately operated Fischer's Band under the leadership of J. Henri Fischer, a prominent musician of the era.

The band today enjoys a membership from a wide variety of backgrounds. The band contains homemakers, physicians, music teachers, business men and women, ministers, retired people, college students, and a few outstanding high school musicians. All share the common enjoyment of playing their instruments and providing the community with a wholesome family activity.

With continued support from the City of Burlington, and with additional corporate support from Midwest Federal Savings and Loan, the Municipal Band continues to perform free Sunday evening concerts in Crapo Park during the summer months. These concerts are presented from 7:30 until 8:30 P.M. at the Crapo Park Bandshell, located on Grandview Drive within the park. This site provides concert goers a magnificent view of the Mississippi River and the Illinois farmlands spread below, and a wide lawn where listeners can choose to sit on park benches provided near the bandshell, or bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, perhaps to sit near the illuminated Foehlinger Fountain. The concerts are well attended by people of all ages, and many visitors to Burlington make it a point to return each summer to hear at least one concert. Again this season the concerts are being broadcast live by radio station KBUR AM 1490.

Sunday's concert will be conducted by Marcia Korb, who plays flute and piccolo with the band, and currently directs the Burlington High School Concert Band. The concert will include: Kijé's Wedding from Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Serge Prokofieff, arranged by Walters; Highlights from State Fair by Richard Rodgers, arranged by Yoder; Arkansas Traveler, arranged by Adolf Schmid; Calypso Joint by Kenneth L. Farrell; Hands Across the Sea by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Gore; Bands Around the World by Paul Yoder (who arranged "Highlights from State Fair") and Harold Walters (who arranged "Kijé's Wedding"); Italian Polka by Sergei Rachmaninoff; America, the Beautiful by Samuel Augustus Ward, arranged by Carmen Dragon; and Bright Lights on Broadway, a medley including songs by Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim, arranged by John Higgins. Of special local interest will be Tiger Quickstep, An Adaptation of a Civil War Vintage Saxhorn Band Arrangement by Antoni, arranged by Kenton Scott (Kenton is the brother and uncle of our percussionists David and Mark Scott). As always, the concert will close with Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever.

We also hope that you will continue to support live musical performances throughout the year by attending and supporting the music departments of our area school systems, the Southeast Iowa Band, the Southeast Iowa Symphony and other local musical organizations.