Mesa City Band joins MCC ensembles for ‘Music in Mesa’ concert
Mesa Community College announced that the Mesa City Band will join MCC ensembles in a concert at the college’s performing arts center on Oct. 2 to celebrate local music talent.
The “Music in Mesa” concert will kick off the 2025-2026 concert season at MCC, according to John Davenport, director of instrumental studies at MCC.
Davenport explained how extra room in this year’s performance schedule allowed for another group to perform in this event.
He stated that he was initially planning to invite a high school band to play in the “Music in Mesa” concert. What forced him to reconsider was the conflicting schedule of the marching band competition season.
Davenport said the MCB reached out to him last January. They had previously asked him about the possibility of putting together a community band festival.
According to Davenport, the MCB replied with a resounding approval when he invited them to be a special guest at this event.
Tony Bamrick, treasurer of the Mesa City Band, expressed gratitude for the unique opportunity. “We want to show these young people that they can play their instrument for the rest of their lives,” Bamrick stated.
Bamrick noted that Mesa’s official band started out as the Bands Boys in 1898, long before Arizona even became a state. He said the band took a break during World War II and the Korean War before reuniting in 1968.
Bamrick, who has been with the band since 1971, explained how they don’t get many chances to play for younger audiences. According to him, most of their concerts take place in retirement homes.
“It’s a big chance to get out and perform,” Bamrick said, “for people who have probably never heard us before.” He further emphasized how the majority of their members are over 75 and still passionate about music.
The students love the opportunity to play with part of the community outside of MCC, Davenport said.
The concert will open with the Community Band, Davenport stated, which consists of members from all walks of life. They will first perform a four-movement selection titled “Elements” by Brian Balmages.
According to Bamrick, the MCB will go second and offer a variety of pieces. “Bond… James Bond” will be one of the more familiar songs performed by them.
The MCC Concert Band will play last, Davenport said, and is exclusively made up of MCC students. Their first song will be a traditional band literature piece called “Sinfonia Nobilissima” by Robert Jager.
The band will also play “Symphonic Dances No. 3” (“Fiesta”) by Clifton Williams in celebration of MCC’s 60th anniversary.
Davenport mentioned how it was challenging to find the perfect piece to honor the past 60 years of MCC.
He said he discovered “Symphonic Dances No. 3” after researching different dance symphonies. He added that it was a very apropos piece since it was first performed on Jan. 31, 1965, the same year the college was founded.
According to Davenport, the MCC Concert Band and the MCB will combine at the end to play “Stars and Stripes Forever” under his direction. He said how this piece was a suitable choice since the United States’ 250th anniversary is coming up next year.
The concert will start at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m., with guests allowed to arrive half an hour early.
Visitors can find the MCC Performing Arts Center on Longmore and Southern Avenues in the southeast corner of the MCC Southern and Dobson Campus. Complimentary parking is available in front of the building and handicap accessible seats are provided.
