Prairie Brass Band - News Archive

Less Recent News

PBB Begins Busy Summer!! (June 8, 2004) - The Prairie Brass Band got an early jump on the summer concert season with two gigs on successive days in mid-May. The first, on May 15th, was the wedding of B-flat Bass player Ty Heuer to another tuba player, Katie Bost. PBB provided prelude, processional, and recessional music for the ceremony, then many members joined Ty and Katie at the reception following. All our best wishes go to the happy couple!!

The following day PBB played a joint concert with the Heartland Voices in Crystal Lake, Illinois, as part of the Bethany Arts Series. PBB took the second half of the concert after the choir sang the first half, then both groups combined for a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Old Hundredth and the patriotic America the Beautiful, bringing the concert to a close in a rousing finale!

Memorial Day saw PBB pass another milestone of a sort, suffering our first hailstorm as a band! While getting ready to perform in the River Forest Memorial Day Parade, the skies opened up in a torrential downpour that was preceded by pea-sized hail. Fortunately, no one (or their instruments) was hurt.

June continues to be busy, starting with PBB’s summer concert on June 13th at Hersey High School. The program will be varied, from Music Director Dallas Niermeyer’s own arrangement of The Man of La Mancha, to Brad Hecker’s flugelhorn solo in Neil Hefti’s L’il Darlin’, to Eric Ball’s timeless classic for brass band, Journey into Freedom. This concert is followed in short order by another on June 17th in Buffalo Grove, a trip to the Grand Celebration of Brass Bands in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 19th, and another member’s wedding on June 25th. For more information on these and other upcoming comcerts, please see the Events Page. One thing’s for sure - we’ll be keeping busy!

PBB to Host World-Renowned Clinicians in February (February 10, 2004) - With an exciting 2003 behind them, the Prairie Brass Band is looking forward to what 2004 will bring. Following the success of the first annual U.S. Open Brass Band Championships, the Open committee is already busy making plans for this year's contest. The U.S. Open aside, however, the Prairie Brass Band itself is currently in preparation for several outstanding upcoming events.

With several new and potential members of the Band, the organization is exploring many new avenues to fulfill the needs of its musicians. In February, the Band is bringing in Ian Porthouse, an accomplished cornet soloist, principal cornet player for the Fairey FP Music Band of England - the reigning British National Champion brass band - and conductor of the Pennine Brass in England. Mr. Porthouse will share his expertise with the Prairie Brass Band in cornet sectionals and a full band rehearsal. Click here for more info on Ian Porthouse.

The following week the Band is excited to host yet another clinician. Dr. Dale Lonis is currently Dean of the School of Music at the University of Manitoba, after having served as assistant director at Northwestern and Head Director at the University of Missouri. Internationally recognized as a conductor and an educator, Dr. Lonis has been an advisor and teacher to conductors and music educators around the world, including Australia, North and South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Click here for more info on Dr. Dale Lonis.

On Sunday, March 7, the Prairie Brass Band will hold its 2004 concert debut at John Hersey High School, 1900 East Thomas Street in Arlington Heights, Ill. The concert starts at 7:30 pm followed by a reception. Tickets will be available at the door. Check out www.prairiebrass.org/events.htm for a complete listing of upcoming concerts. Visit often for the latest news and information on events!

U.S. Open Brass Band Championships Announced (May 22, 2003) - Plans are being finalized for a new brass band competition in North America - the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships. The inaugural U.S. Open is scheduled to take place on November 8, 2003, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

The goal of this new competition is to encourage the further growth and development of the brass band movement in North America by providing a unique and exciting forum for the participating bands and by promoting the highest standards of performance and entertainment.

Towards this end, the U.S. Open will be an entertainment contest in format, which is unique among brass band contests in North America. No test piece will be required. Instead, each band will perform a 30-minute set of music of their choosing. Standard brass band instrumentation is required, with a limit of 30 musicians for each competing band. Judging will be open, and the adjudicators will be among the finest and most experienced available.

Along with a cash prize, the winning band overall will be crowned U.S. Open Champions, while awards and prizes will also be offered in several other catagories, including Best Performance of a March, Best Soloist, Best Performance of a New Composition or Arrangement, among others.

The U.S. Open aims to draw the finest brass bands from North America and around the world. The organizers, several of whom are affiliated with the Prairie Brass Band, are excited that several of the best brass bands in America are already making plans to attend. This promises to be an exciting and wonderful addition to the brass band calendar!

For more information about the U.S. Open Championships, please contact Clark Niermeyer or Lothian Hamilton.

PBB and Soloists Have Successful NABBA (Apr. 14, 2003) - The Prairie Brass Band has returned from a very enjoyable and successful weekend at the North American Brass Band Association Championships. NABBA XXI was held in Little Rock, AR, on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. Friday was taken up with solo and ensemble competitions, and several PBB members performed to great acclaim from both audiences and judges. When the results were announced Saturday evening, three PBB members walked away with prizes: Cyndi Scoglio (Cornet) placed 3rd in the High Brass Slow Melody contest, Linda Yeo (Bass Trombone) took first prize in the Low Brass Slow Melody contest, and Chris Karabin (Percussion) took first prize (and a perfect score!) in the Solo Percussion contest. Congratulations to the winners, and to all PBB members who competed - you did us proud!

PBB took the stage late on Saturday in the Honors Section competition and gave a fine performance that drew many complements from the audience and was enough to give us third place by a tight margin behind the eventual winners. Pleased with this result, we could all sit back and enjoy the gala concert performed by the fantastic Grimethorpe Colliery Band from the UK. Afterwards, it was time for PBB's increasingly infamous post-NABBA party, with members from many of the other bands joining the festivities. Then it was up early Sunday for the trip back home after a fun and fulfilling weekend for all!

PBB to Host Belgian Band (Mar. 24, 2003) - The Prairie Brass Band is excited to be hosting the Panta Rhei Brass Band from Ghent, Belgium during the week of April 5 - 12. The members of Panta Rhei will spend that week performing and sightseeing around the Chicago area. Early in the week they will be based in Arlington Heights, hosted by PBB members and families of band students at Thomas Middle School. A joint concert will be held with PBB at Thomas Middle School on April 6 at 5:00 PM, and admission is free!! Panta Rhei has several other performances scheduled around Chicagoland later in the week. Finally, they will perform at the Chicagoland Invitational Concert Band Festival at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights on Saturday April 12.

As if we weren't busy enough, PBB is also preparing for the North American Brass Band Association Championships in Little Rock on April 11 and 12. We have a full schedule of extra rehearsals to put the finishing touches on the pieces we will present at the contest, and several members are preparing solos and small ensemble presentations as well. It's a fun time of year!

Prairie Brass Band Prepares for NABBA Contest (Jan. 19, 2003) - It's that time of year again, when a band's thoughts turn to competition! Once again the Prairie Brass Band will be attending the North American Brass Band Association's annual festival and competition, held this year on April 11 and 12 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each competing band must play a designated test piece plus other pieces of their own choice, for a total of about twenty-five minutes in which to impress the judges. In addition, there are separate competitions for soloists and small ensembles, exhibitions, clinics, and a gala concert on Saturday night, which this year will feature the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band from the UK.

We have already begun rehearsing the pieces PBB will play to put our best foot forward, and several of our members are hard at work working on solos and small ensembles as well. Along with all of this, of course, are the band's administrative needs, like booking hotel rooms and coordinating travel to Little Rock, the details of which are starting to fall into place. It's a busy time of year, but an exciting one as well!!

2002-2003 Season Kicks Off!! (Sept. 19, 2002) - The Prairie Brass Band has begun regular rehearsals for its sixth season, and it promises to be an active one! Our own concert series at Hersey High School includes performances in December, March, and June, and we are busy finalizing details of performances at other venues as well. In addition, PBB will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas in April for the North American Brass Band Association Championships, with high hopes of improving on our victory in the Honors Section this past year.

I know the members of the Prairie Brass Band are excited about the new season, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our performances!!

Summer Season Wraps Up (July 30, 2002) - The Prairie Brass Band wrapped up its summer concert season and a very successful year with a well-attended outdoor concert in Lake Bluff on July 28. Highlights of the summer included a "musical tour" of the UK at our concert in June, a trip to Iowa for the Grand Celebration of Brass Bands in Cedar Rapids, and several outdoor concerts to appreciative crowds around Chicagoland. In addition, PBB was honored to play for the wedding of our assistant conductor, Ken Wistrom-Congratulations, Ken and Lorraine!!

2001/2002 has been a very successful year for the PBB, most notably with our impressive and gratifying win in the Honors section at the North American Brass Band Association Championships in April. As we continue to grow and develop, we are pleased to welcome a number of new members into our midst, and look forward to making more great music in the year ahead.

PBB Travels to Iowa - The Prairie Brass Band went out-of-state on June 15th to perform at the eighth annual Grand Celebration of Brass Bands at Ushers Ferry Historic Village in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Three bands are featured each year, including our hosts, the Eastern Iowa Brass Band. Each band plays two roughly hour-long concerts during the course of the day, and at the end of the day there is a massed band finale to send the crowd home with National Emblem, Seventy-Six Trombones, and Stars and Stripes Forever.

PBB's bus left our Arlington Heights home base around 6:00 AM to give us plenty of time to drive to Cedar Rapids. Arriving a little after 10:00 AM, we had plenty of time to warm-up and soak in our surroundings before performing at Noon and 3:00 PM to great audience acclaim. After the finale, it was time to enjoy a fine outdoor dinner with the other bands and maybe even win a rum cake! (To see some pictures from our day, click here.) Finally, we all piled back onto the bus for the trip back to Chicagoland. All in all, a great day!

PBB Wins at 2002 NABBA Competition!!! - The Prairie Brass Band is the 2002 Honors Section Champion!! Besting the competition by a considerable margin, PBB came home from NABBA XX in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the spoils of the victors: a trophy, a handsome banner, and a giant busload of pride! To make things tougher, PBB was the first band to perform Saturday morning, April 13, going onstage at 8:00 AM. Our winning performance included the test piece, Ballet for Band by Joseph Horovitz, and a piece of our choosing, The Year of the Dragon by Philip Sparke. After wowing the audience with our performance, it only remained to see whether the judges liked it. As it turned out, they did!!!

The Honors Section is the second highest section of the North American Brass Band Association Championships. The Prairie Brass Band has had success at previous NABBA competitions, including a victory in the Challenge Section (3rd highest) in 1998, our first year. Since then, PBB has moved up to compete in the Honors Section and has shown steady improvement each year leading up to this victory.

PBB Prepares for NABBA Competition - On April 12 and 13, 2002, the Prairie Brass Band will participate in the North American Brass Band Association competition, held this year in Cincinatti, Ohio. Many PBB members will be competing in the various solo and small ensemble contests on Friday, April 12, while the whole band will compete against three other bands in the Honors Section contest on Saturday, April 13. Hopefully we can build upon our successful performances of the last two years and bring home the top prize!

St. Patrick's Day a Blast with PBB! - The Prairie Brass Band marked St. Patricks Day this year with a spring concert featuring several Irish or Irish-themed tunes. The audience tapped their feet along to selections like the perennially popular "Danny Boy", theme music from the movie "Far and Away", and Peter Graham's exuberant "Gaelforce". Also featured were a couple of pieces we are preparing for the upcoming NABBA competition on April 12-13, as well as several from our recently released CD. Afterwards, many audience members joined us for a reception which included much socializing and green-themed food!

PBB Releases First CD!! - If you buy one CD this year, make it this one!! Yes, the Prairie Brass Band has completed its inaugural CD recording, entitled Listen to the Prairie Brass Band. The CD features some brass band classics as well as several original compositions and arrangements written especially for us. For more information, including how to order, click here.

PBB Performs With Crystal Lake Community Choir - On November 18 the PBB helped "break in" the newly refurbished Raue Centre for the Performing Arts in Crystal Lake, IL, by putting on a joint concert with the Crystal Lake Community Choir. The concert featured each group separately, along with several combined numbers, including works by Bach, Vaughn Williams, and Handel, all of which was enthustiastically received by the audience.

The Prairie Brass Press

Our newsletter devoted to the members, friends and fans of the Prairie Brass Band. Prairie Brass Press is published three times a year and contains information on current happenings, concerts, other performance events and future plans of the Prairie Brass Band.

To read the online version of the Prairie Brass Press, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download a free copy by clicking on the link below.

Current Issue

Fall 2001 - Volume 3, Number 1 [41K - PDF Format]
Features: The Prairie Brass Band kicks off its fifth season, and is set to release its first CD!! Also, looking forward to NABBA 2002; upcoming concert dates; PBB performs with the Crystal Lake Community Choir, and more...

Past Issues

Volume 1 - 1999-2000 Season

Fall 1999 - Volume 1, Number 1 [159K - PDF Format]
Features: an article by PBB founder, Roger Menning, on the PBB as it enters its third year; information on the upcoming joint concert with the Chicago Brass Choir; a welcome to PBB's new Assistant Conductor, Ken Wistrom; and more.
Winter 2000 - Volume 1, Number 2 [474K - PDF Format]
This issue features: a review of the first two PBB concerts of the 1999-2000 season; a look forward to the upcoming NABBA Championships to be held in Columbus, Ohio, on April 14-15; a preview of the pre-contest concert at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights; member profiles of PBB Founder, President and trombonist, Roger Menning and Principal Euphonium, Brad Say.
Spring/Summer 2000 - Volume 1, Number 3 [260K - PDF Format]
This issue features: a preview of the final Arlington Heights concert of the 1999-2000 season featuring Jeff Gaylord, Assistant Principal trombonist of the U.S. Air Force Band; a review of NABBA 2000 including contest results; announcements of Prairie Brass performances for the coming summer.

Volume 2 - 2000-2001 Season

Fall 2000 - Volume 2, Number 1 [308K - PDF Format]
Features: Announcing the Prairie Brass Band's fourth performance season - by PBB President, Clark Niermeyer; member profile of tenor hornist, Eileen Turner; selected PBB members join the Illinois Brass Band on their recent Summer 2000 tour of England.
Winter 2001 - Volume 2, Number 2 [137K - PDF Format]
Features: The Prairie Brass Band prepares for NABBA; Composer Philip Sparke works with the band; Prairie Brass Band's first CD to be released in late summer of 2001.
Spring/Summer 2001 - Volume 2, Number 3 [100K - PDF Format]
Features: NABBA Competition Results--PBB Finishes 2nd in the Honors Section!! Plus Solo and Ensemble competition results; June 10th Pops Concert Preview; Member profiles, and more...