Our Daily Show Interview! Alton Municipal Band Season Starts Thursday!
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ALTON - The Alton Municipal Band will kick off their free summer concert series this week.
Every week in June and July, community members can enjoy a 7:30 p.m. concert on Thursday nights at Riverview Park and a 7 p.m. concert on Sunday nights at Haskell Park. This year’s series starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at Riverview Park, and Adam Rodgers invites the community to come out and enjoy the music.
“Gosh, there’s just such a long tradition and history,” Rodgers said. “It’s a quality-of-life thing, between us and parks and all those things. People kind of take it for granted, but we have so many programs and institutions here in this city that really make the community great.”
This week’s theme is “Strike Up the Band,” with a variety of contemporary music and music that’s “really, really old; the paper was yellowed,” Rodgers joked. Next week, on Thursday, June 12, and Sunday, June 15, is the popular “Children’s Concert,” which always draws a big crowd.
This will be followed by “The ‘Coolest’ Concert of the Year” on June 19 and 22, then “Blast Off!!” on June 26 and 29. The “Patriotic” concert is always a favorite on July 3 and 6, and this concert pays tribute to the veterans in the crowd with John Philip Sousa marches and more.
The “Half Concert” on July 10 and 13 will feature a surprise guest, where the Alton Municipal Band plays the first half hour and their guest takes the second half hour. “Into the Woods” follows on July 17 and 20. The season concludes with “One More Time” on July 24 and 27.
Rodgers emphasized that the free concerts are a great way to enjoy a summer evening with loved ones. The shows are family-friendly, and many generations come out to see the Alton Municipal Band perform.
“It’s a family occasion. People bring their kids. People bring a picnic,” he said. “The background of the music is the squeak of the swingset back and forth. It’s really an all-ages, bring-your-family type of event.”
Rodgers explained that the band’s season starts with open rehearsals in May. During the last week of May, 15–20 musicians complete a sight-reading audition. He noted that deciding who gets to join the band is “the hardest call to make” because all of the musicians are so talented.
The final roster for the Alton Municipal Band includes 35 musicians, including many who have been a part of the band for decades. These musicians receive new music for the week every Monday, then play that music on Thursday and Sunday. Rodgers said it’s “really an incredible thing” to watch the musicians learn the music and perform it on such a quick turnaround.
Rodgers and the rest of the Alton Municipal Band are proud to be a part of the Alton community. They enjoy promoting the arts to kids and families in the Riverbend region. Rodgers noted that Alton is a great community for music, and the Alton Municipal Band is eager to carry on that tradition for another summer.
“Alton really supports the arts,” he added. “There’s our band, we have a youth symphony and the community orchestra and the symphony, and then if classical isn’t your thing, there’s all the stuff down at the amphitheater. Take a walk down any of these places here down on 3rd Street on the weekend. Gosh, we have a lot of music every night. Really, every night. There’s something here for everyone. It’s really great.”
For more information about the Alton Municipal Band and their upcoming concerts, visit their official webpage or check out their official Facebook page.
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