The Flint Concert Band is the oldest community band in Flint, Michigan, and was founded in 1948 by Gerret Ebmeyer and several other local musicians. Mr. Ebmeyer was more than the Founder and first Conductor; he also excelled as a trumpet player, music teacher, public school Band Director, and administrator.
After the first concert in 1949 the band played regularly at Flint Central High School auditorium for 20 years. Mr. Ebmeyer conducted through 1974. Other conductors have been Frank Tamburrino, Barry Wentz, Ken Duquaine, Mel Keranen, Mike Wolfe and currently Bruce Nieuwenhuis.
The Flint Concert Band is a community band open to all musicians. They play music from a variety of genres, including marches, jazz and show tunes, along with traditional concert band pieces. Members come from all walks of life, but are brought together through their shared love of musical performance.
One of the original members of the band, Norbert Burwell, continues to play with the band to this day.
Famous quotes containing the words flint, concert and/or band:
“I see you boys of summer in your ruin.
Man in his maggot’s barren.
And boys are full and foreign in the pouch.
I am the man your father was.
We are the sons of flint and pitch.
O see the poles are kissing as they cross.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Man is head, chest and stomach. Each of these animals operates, more often than not, individually. I eat, I feel, I even, although rarely, think.... This jungle crawls and teems, is hungry, roars, gets angry, devours itself, and its cacophonic concert does not even stop when you are asleep.”
—René Daumal (1908–1944)
“Nothing makes a man feel older than to hear a band coming up the street and not to have the impulse to rush downstairs and out on to the sidewalk.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)