Military Band concerts to return June 9

TOWNSEND » The Townsend Military Band will open the 2022 Thursday evening concert series on the town common, weather permitting, Thursday, June 9.

The band is set to play every Thursday between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. through at least August 11. The Townsend Military Band is managed by Townsend resident Betty Mae Tenney and conducted by Thomas Souza of Chelmsford.

Souza is the wind ensemble director at Brandeis University and the head of the Music department in the Nashua, New Hampshire, public school system. Souza is also the band director at Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua.

Souza plans to feature well- known show tunes, marches, patriotic music and children’s music in the weekly concert series.

Concerts are funded by the town and lawn parties are hosted by local organizations, offering food, activities for children and other assorted tables for concertgoers to peruse. Local residents are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the ambiance.

The lawn party for the first concert will be hosted by Townsend Scout groups.

Boy Scout Troop #10 will sell grilled hot dogs, burgers, watermelon and an assortment of cold sodas and water.

Cub Scouts Pack #11 will be selling Country Meat Beef Sticks and running games for children to play. Townsend Girl Scouts will be selling lemonade and ice cream.

Former Hawthorne Brook Middle School Band Director Ken Arsenault will be conducting the first concert.

The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. with the band playing Parker’s “American Legion March” and “The Lion King” arranged by Higgins. Lang’s arrangement of “A Trumpeter’s Lullaby”, Goldman’s “The Chimes of Liberty March”, and “Bandology” by Osterling will be performed. The “Sea Songs” by Vaughan Williams and “The Barnstormer March” arranged by Beyer will be included in the first portion of the program.

Following intermission Sousa’s “Washington Post March” will be played. “The Italian in Algiers” transcribed by Tobani and “The Boys of the Old Brigade March” by Chambers will be performed before the band concludes its concert at 9:30 p.m. by playing the “Star Spangled Banner.”