PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
LEADING THE BAND … Band Director Terry Krause directs the Bryan City Band during the opening concert of its 175th consecutive season. VIEW 73 PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
REEDS ON THE SQUARE … Members of the clarinet section perform during the Bryan City Band’s opening concert.
By: Rebekah Dell
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan City Band launched its summer concert season Wednesday evening at the courthouse square bandstand, marking an extraordinary milestone as the organization begins its 175th consecutive year of performances.
Band Director Terry Krause noted that while many community bands across the country have long histories, few can claim an uninterrupted performance record.
The Bryan City Band’s continuous operation places it among the oldest community bands in the nation and makes it the second-oldest continuously performing community band in the United States.
Residents gathered around the courthouse square bandstand on June 3 to celebrate the opening of another season in a tradition that has been a part of Bryan’s cultural fabric since 1852, while members of the Bryan Kiwanis Club sold popcorn and water to attendees.
The opening concert featured a mix of marches, overtures, patriotic selections, jazz standards and popular favorites. The evening opened with “Strike Up the Band” and concluded with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Krause noted that while he had never fully known why the national anthem is traditionally used as the closing selection, conversations with other band directors revealed that many ensembles also end their performances with the same piece.
The Bryan City Band’s summer concert series continues each Wednesday evening throughout the season. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. on the bandstand located on the courthouse square in downtown Bryan.
As the band begins its 175th consecutive year, it continues a tradition that has connected generations of local musicians and audiences while preserving one of Bryan’s longest-standing community institutions.