PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA IV
John Phillip Sousa IV will narrate a concert by the Southampton Community Band on May 11.
By Megan Badger
Wire Managing Editor
The music and legacy of the late American composer and conductor John Phillip Sousa will be brought back to life by his great grandson at an upcoming concert by the Southampton Community Band.
The band’s director, Marvin Feld, invited John Phillip Sousa IV to narrate at the performance, which will take place on May 11 at Klinger Middle School in Southampton.
This concert is the band’s annual Salute to the Armed Forces performance, which this year will also honor Sousa, who frequently performed at nearby Willow Grove Park, now Willow Grove Park Mall. Feld said he was “delighted” to have Sousa’s descendant take part in the concert.
“This year, the first portion of the concert will be like Sousa playing at Willow Grove Park,” Feld told the Midweek Wire. “That means all the works were arranged by or performed by the Sousa band and he will tell stories about the history of the band at Willow Grove Park, one of Sousa’s favorite places to play.
“The second half of the concert will be a tribute to the military and we will play selections from South Pacific along with “Let There be Peace on Earth,” which we think is appropriate for a military concert,” he said.
According to a 1963 article by Dr. Harold E. Cox, a history professor at Wilkes College, the John Phillip Sousa Band was the most popular of all the musical acts at the park. Sousa also wrote much of his music at Willow Grove and did not miss a single season of performances during the last 20 seasons at Willow Grove.
“This is a real treat for me to come to the area where Sousa performed more times than anywhere else,” Sousa IV of Farmington, Conn., told the Midweek Wire. “He really considered it a second home, having conducted dozens and dozens of concerts at Willow Grove.
“This is a wonderful community band and it is an honor to be able to narrate a splendid concert full of sensational music,” he added. “I can’t wait.”
Sousa travels the world narrating concerts, specifically those that honor his great grandfather and concerts that honor the armed forces. This concert means to accomplish both.
Feld reached out to Sousa after attending a concert where he was the narrator. Feld said Sousa is very personable and offers the audience interesting stories and anecdotes about his great grandfather. After that, he knew Sousa would be a perfect fit for the band’s Armed Forces concert.
Feld, a retired music teacher, is in his fourth year as director of the Southampton Community Band, which is in its 15th season. The band has approximately 70 members, including student performers from area school districts — Central Bucks, Centennial, Pennsbury and Council Rock.
“We perform four concerts a year as part of a concert series. Traditionally [proceeds from] one concert goes to the concert fund and one is a tribute to the military,” Feld said. “For the tribute to military, we allow past and present military servicemen as guests with no admission charge.”
Southampton Community Band’s Salute to the Armed Forces concert will take place on May 11 at Klinger Middle School, 1415 Second Street Pike in Southampton. Doors open at 7:30; concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $15 ($10 for students and seniors, free for military). For more information, call 215–355–3927 or visit www.southamptonband.org.
