Submitted by The Brass Band of Minot
The Brass Band of Minot will open its 2026-2027 with a patriotic concert titled America 250: The Brass Band of Minot Salutes Veterans & First Responders at 4PM on Sunday, October 18th at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall. The concert is both a tribute to our country’s military and in memory of founding Brass Band of Minot member Todd Cresap who passed away September 12th.
The Brass Band of Minot is conducted by Wayne Schemp and consists of brass and percussion players from western North Dakota who range from high school students to music educators.
The concert will open with the Star Spangled Banner followed by Fanfare and Flourishes by James Curnow. Fanfare and Flourishes was based loosely on Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s (1634-1704) Te Deum and varies between bright fanfares and dance-like interludes. Next the band will play Jerry Bilik’s American Civil War Fantasy, a musical depiction of the Civil War complete will strains of popular music of the day, bugle calls, a battle scene, and a hopefully ending with a beautiful rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Then, the band will play Josef Wagner’s popular march, Under the Double Eagle. The band will then welcome the North Dakota National Guard’s Cover Down Brass Ensemble to the stage. After they play several pieces, the band will return with a tribute to Todd Cresap. Todd passed away on September 12th. He was a founding member of the Brass Band of Minot and played solo cornet in the band for many years. He is greatly missed. In memory of Todd, the band will play William Himes’ beautiful and moving arrangement of Amazing Grace, and a trio of three cornet/trumpet players from the band will play an arrangement of Be Thou My Vision. Then, the band will play William Gordon’s beautiful arrangement of Geron Davis’ Holy Ground. Next, the band will swing into the big band favorite, American Patrol. American Patrol was originally written as a march by Frank Meacham, but a swing version of the piece was later popularized by Glenn Miller, and this arrangement by William Gordon is very much a tribute to big band swing. The band will invite former and current members of the armed forces to stand and be recognized as the band plays Armed Forces Salute, a medley of the armed forces service songs by Stephen Bulla. The Cover Down Brass Ensemble will join the band for a concert finale, America’s favorite march, Stars and Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa.
Cover Down Brass Ensemble is part of the North Dakota Army National Guard’s 188th Army Band. The ensemble provides musical support for military ceremonies as well as community relations and educational outreach events. Cover Down regularly performs for Soldiers, Veterans, students, and community members across North Dakota. Cover Down ensemble members include: Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Johnson (tuba), Staff Sgt. Augustus Tandberg (Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, horn), Sgt. Ben Helfrich (Musical Director, trombone), Sgt. Andrew Bergan (trumpet), Sgt. Amanda Fox (Public Affairs; horn), Sgt. Natalie Helfrich (trombone), Sgt. Jaden Rohrich (trumpet), Spc. Jack Austin (trumpet), Spc. Anson Chojnacki (trombone), and Spc. Ryan Guagenti (trumpet). Brass Band of Minot fans might recognize Jack Austin as he played cornet in the Brass Band of Minot for several years when he was in high school. Jack is now a Sophomore at the University of North Dakota where he is majoring in Music Education. He performs with the 188th Army Band, the UND Wind Ensemble, the 1 o’ clock Jazz Band, the Pride of The North Marching Band, and the UND Trumpet Ensemble.
Brass Band of Minot concerts are free and open to the public though cash and check donations are very welcome and help pay for the band’s expenses. The hall has a hearing loop system for hearing aid users and an elevator accessible from the east side of Old Main.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The season will continue with concerts on Nov 22nd, Feb 21st, and April 4th.
