The River Valley Band will be presenting a concert entitled “Celebrating Community Bands” on Sunday March 5th at 1 p.m. at the Hastings Middle School Auditorium.

Now in its 12th season, the River Valley Band of Hastings continues to deliver entertaining band concert programs to local audiences. This year’s program will also feature special guest artist trumpeter John Huth, a local favorite. “Celebrating Community Bands” will provide the audience not only with a program by the River Valley Band but also by the Rosemount Community Band. Consisting of almost 60 fine musicians, the Rosemount Band will be bringing their own wonderful program for the enjoyment of the audience. Both bands will join on stage for a finale that isn’t seen often, a 110-piece concert band.

So, mark your calendar for Sunday March 5 for “Celebrating Community Bands.”

Hastings Middle School Auditorium
1000 11th St W
Hastings, MN 55033

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The River Valley Band of Hastings, under the direction of Thomas Maeck, retired Eagan High School Director of Bands, kicked off its 12^th concert season with a special Veterans Day concert on Sunday November 6^th at 1pm at Hastings High School auditorium. To make it even more special for the audience, the band performed a joint concert with the 204^th Army Band from Fort Snelling MN.

According to Allen Saunders, community band Board Member, the two bands came together to celebrate Veterans Day with a show of patriotism, gratitude for their service and our American heritage. The 204^th Army Band – Minnesota is a detachment of the 204^th Army Band stationed in Tacoma, WA. It is comprised of select musicians from the upper Midwest and has the reputation of being one of the top organizations in the Army band program. Its members come from all walks of life with diverse professional careers in addition to their military service. They all share a love of music and pride in serving their country as soldiers in the United States Army Reserve. This is the third time they performed with the River Valley Band, and they performed as a 30-piece concert band as well as a 5-piece rock band configuration. 

The River Valley Band is particularly pleased that 20 members of the instrument repair curriculum from the Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing have joined the band this season. These are highly skilled musicians from all over the country that take their love of concert band music and extend it to their love of and care for the instruments themselves.

The concert was held in the Hastings High School Auditorium. Everyone was welcomed. This event marked the River Valley Band’s 12th concert season. Since its inception, the group has grown to over 50 members of all ages and membership is open to all musicians from Hastings, Prescott, and surrounding areas. The band rehearses Tuesdays at 6:45pm in the Hastings Middle School band room.

Following the Veterans Day concert, the River Valley Band performed the Band’s annual Christmas concert on Sunday December 4^th at the Hastings Middle School Auditorium. The entire community was invited. This concert also featured the Hastings Middle School “Spiral Singers” under the direction of vocal music teacher Cheryl Borgen who brought their special holiday music to the program.