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.

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.

This website is now maintained by members of the Burlington Municipal Band.

We thank the staff at the Burlington Public Library for the original site design.

Questions and/or comments can be directed to -- webmaster@muniband.org

The summer 2002 season is upon us. During the season this site will, as usual, list upcoming concert programs and special events. We plan to make significant improvements to the site this season so we hope that you will access this page often as changes are made.

For the first time in memory, we BEGIN our season this year with the annual Teddy Bear's Picnic concert. While the band concert will begin at the usual 7:30 P.M., Grade A+ will have many activities in the area of the band shell beginning earlier in the afternoon. Grade A+ is an organization which fights drug abuse, and we encourage you to support their very worthwhile efforts.

The band will be conducted this week by Burlington High School band director Derrick Murphy who has chosen fitting selections for children of all ages, as well as their parents! Derrick's selections include: The Lion King Soundtrack Highlights arranged by Calvin Custer; Robin Hood Prince of Thieves written by Michael Kamen and arranged by Paul Lavender; Barry Manilow in Concert arranged by Robert W. Lowden; The Little Mermaid, a medley including Fathoms Below, Kiss the Girl, Part Of Your World, and Under the Sea, written by Alan Menken and arranged by Jay Bocook; Fleetwood Mac in Concert, including Don't Stop, Over My Head, and Dreams, arranged by "Bob" Lowden; The Teddy Bear's Picnic by John W. Bratton, arranged by Paul Yoder; Walt Disney Overture arranged by Frank Erickson; Salute to Jimmy Webb, arranged by John Cacavas; Loony Tunes Overture arranged by Bill Holcombe; Selections from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; and our traditional closing march, The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa.

We hope that you will take the opportunity to support live music provided by many musical organizations in the Burlington Area during the fall, winter and spring months. Members of the Municipal Band participate in or direct many of these groups, and we would love to see you. These groups include the school bands, orchestras and choirs in Burlington and surrounding communities as well as the Southeast Iowa Symphony, Southeast Iowa Band, Bel Canto Chorale, South Hill Brass, Southeast Iowa Brass Quintet, and the Southeast Iowa Woodwind Quintet. You may often find band members directing or participating in the pit bands of the Players Workshop and/or area school musical productions as well.