Villages Concert Band

One thing the Villages is never lacking is entertainment.   No matter what your tastes, there is something for everyone.  There are local performers and famous names (although most of the famous names we get have been around for a long time.)  Not long after returning home from our vacation, we saw a listing of Spring concerts and events in the newspaper.   We looked at tickets for Herman's Hermits and Willie Nelson, but both were sold out.  There were two local performances that we were also interested in and we did get tickets for them.

Last night we went to see the Villages Concert Band's Spring Concert at Savannah Center.  This is a group of about 100 musicians who have probably played their instruments all their lives.  Now they are retired and play for fun.  The director is a retired music educator and the associate director is a retired high school band director.  The ensemble rehearses weekly and performs 5-6 concerts a year, with all profits going to a local charity.

This is not an amateur band.  These are excellent musicians, many of whom worked as musicians or teachers prior to retirement.  They love music and it shows.  We enjoyed a wonderful evening of music including a great rendition of the 1812 Overture, American Folk Rhapsody, an Irish music medley and much more.  There was even a special performance of the Trombone Rag featuring "The P-Bones of the Villages".  This is a group of 10 musicians who play colorful plastic trombones.  I had never heard of this before but these P-Bones sound very much like brass trombones but are much less expensive and come in all kinds of colors.  They are gaining popularity with students just learning to play.

Sunday night we have tickets for another concert, but I'll save that for after we've heard them and can give them a proper review.