Maine Pops Concert Band Concludes 2026 Summer Season with Scarborough Summerfest Performance
The Maine Pops Concert Band concluded its busy summer season with an hour-long performance at Scarborough Summerfest on Friday, August 21.
Under the direction of David Watts, 73 musicians performed before a large audience of Summerfest attendees who gathered inside and outside the performance tent adjacent to the Scarborough High School tennis courts.
The final concert in Scarborough was the seventh summer performance by the full Maine Pops Concert Band in 2026. After opening with a morning performance at the annual Robert Browne Hall Day festival on June 27 in Westbrook, the band performed a private show at Ketcha Outdoors’ annual “Pops and Popsicles” on July 1.
The band followed that concert with a July 8 private benefit show at the 100 State Street senior housing complex in Portland, then made public appearances at Portland’s Heseltine Park (July 15), St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk (July 22), and the Bath Library Park Gazebo on August 7.
To close the 2026 season, Watts selected music that combined patriotic music commemorating the Nation’s 250th anniversary with providing medleys of music familiar with wide range of listers. The music performed was:
The Star-Spangled Banner – Francis Scott Key
Soaring with John Williams - John Williams (arr. Robert W. Smith)
America, The Beautiful – Samuel Augustus Ward (arr. Carmen Dragon)
The Beatles: Love – John Lennon and Paul McCartney (arr. Jay Bocook)
A Disney Spectacular – (arr. John Moss)
Shenandoah – Frank Ticheli
Bond…James Bond (arr. Stephen Bulla)
Groovitude – Randall Standridge
The Stars and Stripes Forever – John Philip Sousa.
The full concert band now goes on a three-week break before resuming rehearsals on Wednesday, September 9. However, the band’s small ensembles will continue to perform between now and September 9. These performances include:
August 22 – Harbor Brass Quintet, Portland Jetport Arrival Hall, Portland, ME 11 a.m.
August 26 – Clarinet Chromatics Ensemble, Jordan Hall, Ocean Park, ME, 6 p.m.
August 26 – Polished Brass Ensemble, Camp Timanous, Raymond, ME, 6 p.m.
August 29 – Uniquehorns (French Horn) Ensemble, Panther Pond Pontoon performance, Raymond, ME 6 p.m.
September 8 – Harbor Brass at “Kevin on the Roof” STRIVE fundraiser, Patriot Subaru, Saco, ME, 4:30 p.m.
For more information about upcoming performances by all Maine Pops elements, please visit the Maine Pops website at https://www.mainepops.org/events.
The Maine Pops would like to thank Nicole Hall, Brandi Bradley and the entire Scarborough Community Recreation Team for their support of our performance. Also, thanks to our Anton Bodor for his coordination work with the town, and to John Cranton and his team at Scarborough Community Access Television for the video support.
The Maine Pops Concert Band is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt educational non-profit organization, with a mission to build community through music.