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On Wednesday, June 10, the Kokomo Park Band will continue its popular summer concert series at Highland Park with a profound musical exploration, entitled “America: Melting Pot - The Spirit of the Nation.” This special performance is part of the band’s season-long celebration, America at 250, capturing the diverse cultural tapestries, immigration stories, and varied traditions that have shaped the American spirit over the last two and a half centuries.
The completely admission-free performance kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
The evening’s concert also doubles as the band’s highly anticipated annual Side-by-Side program. Music lovers will have the unique opportunity to see the area’s top high school instrumentalists — nominated and sponsored by KPB members based on their musical achievements — share the stage and perform right alongside the seasoned professionals of the Kokomo Park Band. Community First Bank and the CFB Journey Club are proudly sponsoring this landmark community event.
The program is hosted by the Kokomo Parks Department with support from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, the Center Township Trustee, the Community Foundation of Howard County, and The Arts Federation, in cooperation with the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
This year’s Side-by-Side selectees include Allara Henry, flute; Zander Bowers, Peyton McKinney, and Olivia Thomas, clarinet; Gennavieve Blocker, alto saxophone; Makayla Armstrong, Jonathan Rossiter, Josiah Herring, and Elijah Snyder, trumpet; Rachel Rath, horn; Ezra Kilcline, euphonium; and Laynie Metz and Harrison Sherard, percussion. Schools represented include Eastern, Huntington North, Kokomo, Lewis Cass, Northwestern, Western, and North Central.
The evening’s carefully curated repertoire beautifully reflects the global influences that define the American experience. Audiences will be treated to The Seventh Night of July by Itaru Sakai, Clare Grundman’s Irish Rhapsody, and Pierre La Plante’s nostalgic American Riversongs. The band will also perform the energetic rhythm of Scott Watson’s Balkan Seven, Floyd Werle’s lively Fandango, and the evocative Symphonic Dances from “Fiddler on the Roof” (composed by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, with symphonic scoring by Ira Hearshen and arranged by Warren Barker).
A major highlight of the performance will be Earl Hagen’s sultry classic Harlem Nocturne (arranged by the late Steve Rhodes, KPB’s former conductor), spotlighting the exceptional talents of KPB principal saxophone player Neil Broeker.
An Indiana native and Haworth High School alumnus, multi-woodwind instrumentalist Broeker is the principal saxophonist for the Kokomo Park Band. Broeker won the Kokomo Symphony Concerto competition in his youth before earning a Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Studies from the prestigious Indiana University School of Music.
While at IU, he studied under world-renowned classical saxophonist Dr. Eugene Rousseau and legendary jazz educator David Baker, mastering the saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe, and bassoon. Over a prolific 26-year professional career, Broeker has toured internationally with Andy Williams and performed alongside legendary acts like Glen Campbell and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Also a highly skilled instrument technician, he trained under master repair technicians including Ning Pan and Mike and Joel Lomax. Today, Broeker resides in Avon, Indiana, balancing a busy schedule of performing, teaching, managing the Raccoon Lake Sax Quartet, and providing expert woodwind repair services at Kokomo’s Sound of Music store.
The stage will also welcome back acclaimed local vocalist Sally Duke, a Greentown resident and well-traveled travel escort, who will perform the deeply moving showstopper I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables, featuring a lush arrangement by Michael Brown.
Greentown resident Duke brings a unique blend of global adventure and deep local roots to the stage. As an accomplished Christian vocalist, Sally has performed extensive concerts both nationally and internationally, and her voice can be heard on nine different recordings. Locally, she is a beloved and frequent performer in Greentown’s Music at the Fairgrounds concert series.
Beyond her musical ministry, Sally is a familiar face at Community First Bank, where she manages the travel program for customers aged 50 and better. This year marks a major milestone for Sally, as she celebrates her 30th anniversary as a travel escort. An avid explorer, she has already led groups to all 50 states and 35 countries, with her sights set on visiting all seven continents and 100 countries before she turns 100.
Home, however, is where her heart is. Sally has been happily married to her husband, Bobby, for 43 years. Together, they are the proud parents of a 21-year-old son, Samuel, who is currently studying history at IU Kokomo while working alongside his mother as a teller at Community First Bank.
Every effort is made to perform outdoors, but in the event of inclement weather, the concert will move to the Kokomo High School Auditorium. The decision to move indoors is generally not made until after 5 p.m., with announcements posted on Facebook. A recorded announcement will also be available at 765-319-8554 if the location is changed.
The majority of the band’s funding depends on donations from individuals. Contributions should be sent to Kokomo Park Band, P.O. Box 6039, Kokomo, IN 46904-6039. More information can be found on Facebook and on the band’s website at www.kokomoparkband.org.