A unique way of celebrating the Nation's 250th anniversary was conducted Sunday, November 8th when the Maine Pops Concert Band held its 2026 fall concert at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center in Westbrook, ME. It’s the first major concert of the band’s 2026-2027 performance season, a concert well-attended by residents in the greater Portland area.
Instead of traditional patriotic music and marches, band director David Watts wanted to take the concert in a different direction, selecting literature for "American Soundscapes" that reflected the Nation's birth, growth, hardship, diversity, grit, and unyielding optimism. Its focus was on the people and events that built the nation.
The Maine Pops Concert Band - based in Scarborough, ME- is one of the largest community bands in Maine. Over 90 musicians took the stage for the 75-minute concert and performed the following compositions:
Fanfare For the Common Man - Aaron Copland
American Revolutionary War Medley -traditional, arr. by Jari Villanueva
American Riversongs - folksong setting by Pierre La Plante
American Civil War Fantasy - Jerry H. Bilik
Georgia On My Mind - Hoagie Carmichael, arr. J. Higgins
Foundry - John Mackey
Chorale and Shaker Dance II -John Zdechlik
The Stars and Stripes Forever - John Philip Sousa.
With the fall concert complete, the Maine Pops turns its focus to December 13 and the annual Holiday benefit concert, also slated for 2:30 p.m. at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center. Musicians will spend the next five weeks rehearsing holiday selections composed by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, Ralph Ford, Alfred Reed and Randall D. Standridge or arranged by Erik Morales, Sammy Nestico, Robert W. Smith, Carl Stommen. A donation of $15 person is requested, and students are admitted at no charge. The concert beneficiaries will be announced prior to the performance.
For more information on the band’s upcoming holiday concert, as well other performances by the nine Maine Pops small ensembles, please inquiries to president@mainepops.org or sbarrett@mainepops.org.
The Maine Pops is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit corporation. Contributions may be tax-deductible.