On Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., the Johnson City Community Band will be holding its annual Holiday Concert at First Christian Church. The concert is free to the public and should last around 50 minutes. It will include multiple holiday favorites, with a twist.
Dr. Christian Zembower, the Director of Bands at ETSU, is the current conductor for the Johnson City Community Band. Dr. Zembower has chosen around seven pieces for the band to perform at the concert. They include a piece by Leroy Anderson called a “Christmas Festival,” which is a medley of around ten Christmas tunes. “Sleigh Ride,” by Leroy Anderson, will also be performed. Zembower has also chosen a piece that adds a twist to the average holiday tune.
“We’re doing another piece called Minor Alterations- The Dark Side of Carols,” said Zembower. “It basically includes a lot of well-known Christmas and holiday tunes, but they’re all in a minor key so they’re dark. I think this is one of our favorite pieces of music for this season.”
The Johnson City Community Band consists of around 75 members and is a purely volunteer ensemble. It contains a mixture of high school students, retirees and working members. The band consists of woodwind, brass and percussion. In the fall of 2023, the band will be celebrating its 40 year anniversary. They will be bringing back the original conductor, Joe Hermann.
The band hosts a concert in March, three concerts during the summer, a fall concert in October and a holiday concert in December. They encourage people to volunteer to be a part of the band. Those interested can find the sign-up link on their website listed below.
“It’s rewarding to see music come together, like a well-oiled machine,” said Zembower. “And then just slowly mold the clay into a wonderful little sculpture.”
For more information on the Johnson City Community Band and to volunteer, visit https://www.jcccband.org/.
