This web site is also available in a LARGE PRINT version. |
The Burlington Municipal Band plays a one hour concert each week during the summer. Most of our concerts take place at the band shell in beautiful Crapo Park, overlooking the Mississippi River. While the band concerts begin at 7:30 PM, there is sometimes other entertainment preceding the concert, and families are encouraged to come early to enjoy the fine summer evening in the park. The concerts are broadcast on KBUR AM 1490 via "immediate delay," from 9:00 until 10:00 P.M. on Sunday nights. |
The Burlington Municipal Band plays a one hour concert each week during the summer. Most of our concerts take place at the band shell in beautiful Crapo Park, overlooking the Mississippi River. While the band concerts begin at 7:30 PM, there is sometimes other entertainment preceding the concert, and families are encouraged to come early to enjoy the fine summer evening in the park. The concerts are broadcast on KBUR AM 1490 via "immediate delay," from 9:00 until 10:00 P.M. on Sunday nights. |
Burlington, Iowa Quality of Life Burlington Municipal Band |
Occasionally inclement weather forces the cancellation of our concerts. News of concert cancellations is broadcast on a number of local radio stations. Concert cancellations will also be posted here on this web site. |
Each year, the band has openings for a few musicians. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Burlington Municipal Band, contact Mark Eveleth by telephone at (319) 753-6900 or by e-mail at evelethm@mchsi.com. |
About the Band |
The Burlington (Iowa) Municipal Band is a community concert band which has served and enriched the life of this city for eighty years. The band's first concert was presented in Crapo Park in May of 1927 after the citizens of Burlington had expressed the desire that such a band be formed. The band's roots extend back to the nineteenth century; it was formed through the combining of the existing Orchard City Band and the privately operated Fischer's Band under the leadership of J. Henri Fischer, a prominent musician of the era. |
The band today enjoys a membership from a wide variety of backgrounds. The band contains homemakers, physicians, music teachers, business men and women, ministers, retired people, college students, and a few outstanding high school musicians. All share the common enjoyment of playing their instruments and providing the community with a wholesome family activity. |
With continued support from the City of Burlington, the Municipal Band performs free Sunday evening concerts in Crapo Park during the summer months. These concerts are presented from 7:30 until 8:30 P.M. at the Crapo Park Bandshell, located on Grandview Drive within the park. This site provides concert goers a magnificent view of the Mississippi River and the Illinois farmlands spread below, and a wide lawn where listeners can choose to sit on park benches provided near the bandshell, or bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, perhaps to sit near the illuminated Foehlinger Fountain. The concerts are well attended by people of all ages, and many visitors to Burlington make it a point to return each summer to hear at least one concert. |
This website is now maintained by members of the Burlington Municipal Band. We thank the staff at the Burlington Public Library for the original site design. |
This web site is also available in a LARGE PRINT version. |
We hope that you will take the opportunity to support live music provided by many musical organizations in the Burlington Area. Members of the Municipal Band participate in or direct many of these groups, and we would love to see you. These groups include the school bands, orchestras and choirs in Burlington and surrounding communities as well as the Southeast Iowa Symphony, Southeast Iowa Band, Bel Canto Chorale, South Hill Brass, Southeast Iowa Brass Quintet, and the Southeast Iowa Woodwind Quintet. You may often find band members directing or participating in the pit bands of the Players Workshop and/or area school musical productions as well. |
Welcome to muniband.org, the official web site of the Burlington Municipal Band of Burlington, Iowa! |
Sadly, our 2004 "Guest Book" comments were mistakenly deleted. Feel free to sign in AGAIN or for the first time! |
The year was 1948. Though the World War II had ended three years before, the Burlington Municipal Band, heretofore an all male organization, had not yet replenished its ranks sufficiently with returning servicemen to adequately fill out its sections. The decision was made to add female members and among the three young ladies who joined the band that year was a musically precocious clarinet player named Sue Fischer. "Little Susie" certainly was up to the task: she continued playing in the band through high school and, during her college years, returned home from the University of Iowa (where she became the protégé of Hymie Voxman for whom the university's music building is named) during the summers to continue her band membership. |
Through all the years since - years which have included a highly successful career in public school music education, countless brilliant private clarinet students, marriage to school principal Al and the birth of their three children, Sue has continued to play in the Burlington Municipal Band. She has not only played, but she has always demonstrated and maintained the highest standards of musicianship. In this, Sue's 60th season in the band, we extend our sincere congratulations! |
Sue during her high school years |
Sue Kristensen |
