During the weekend of June 7 and 8, lovers of live concert band music can enjoy a double dose from both of City of Fairfax Band Association’s large ensembles.
The City of Fairfax Band and the Main Street Community Band will be performing in the National Community Band Festival at the George Mason University Center for the Arts.
The Main Street Band will play its program on Saturday, June 7, at 5:30 p.m. The City of Fairfax Band will entertain on Sunday, June 8, at 2:15 p.m. The City of Fairfax Band, conducted by Music Director Dereck Scott, will celebrate America through music, honoring its heroes and its iconic composers. The program also will feature Oakton High School clarinetist Alex Yu, the winner of this year’s City of Fairfax Band Association’s Young Artist Competition. The soloist, accompanied by the band, will perform the “Rondo” movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.
Main Street Community Band, under the direction of Geoffrey Seffens, will perform medleys from Gershwin, Porter and Anderson, as well as two contemporary works from composers Tomohiro Tatebe and Naoya Wada of Japan, among others. Incoming conductor Henry Heidtmann will lead two of the pieces.
Tickets are $19 for adults, $14 for seniors (55+) and $9 for students for each afternoon of music, with five bands playing on Saturday and three on Sunday. The tickets can be purchased online for a processing fee of $4 or at the door with no fee. The GMU Center for the Arts offers accessible seating and restrooms, as well as other accommodations; for more information email the ticket office at cfatix@gmu.edu or call 703-993-8881.
Free parking is available in Lot K, which is located directly across the pond from the Center for the Arts. Covered parking is available in the Mason Pond Parking Deck, just north of the Center for the Arts on Mason Pond Drive, for $10.
The National Community Band Festival is presented by the Fairfax Wind Symphony, which will perform immediately after the City of Fairfax Band on Sunday. George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music is a co-presenter.