The Salem Concert Band will perform at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at Youngberg Hill Vineyards, 10660 S.W. Youngberg Hill Road.
The “Enchanted Evening” dinner concert is a fundraiser for the band, which includes members from Yamhill County as well as the Salem area.
Tickets are $30. That includes the music and scenery at Youngberg Hill, plus a box dinner prepared by Roth’s Creative Catering. Wine and other beverages will be available for an additional charge. Tickets can be purchased at the band website, www.scb.org, or through Tickets West, 1-800-992-8499. Lawn seating so bring a blanket or a chair.
Director John Skelton said the group usually performs in the historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem. It hasn’t played in McMinnville for decades.
During its first five years, founder and director John McManus led numerous concerts in Mac, where he taught band in the 1960s. The group also played in Newberg, Dallas and other area cities.
“We hope to start doing more of that,” said Skelton, who played euphonium with the group before becoming its director.
Skelton was looking for the right venue in Yamhill County. Then, on a wine-tasting visit to Youngberg Hill, he saw the concert lawn and met the winemaker.
“Such a beautiful setting, and such nice people,” he said.
Soon, plans were being made for a performance under the skies.
The Salem Concert Band season usually spans the school year, with summers off. For this special performance, Skelton said he expects about 45 of the 50 to 60 players who make up the winter ensemble.
Local members include Paul Paddock on euphonium and Dick Elliott on trumpet. John Delaney, another former Mac High band director, also is a member. Paddock’s wife, Linfield College band director Joan Haddeland Paddock, sometimes plays with the Salem group, as well.
Some members of the group, such as the Paddocks, Elliott and Delaney, play professionally. Others are part-time musicians who just love to play, Skelton said.
“We play mature enough literature that people need to be on top of their instruments, so everyone can enjoy it,” he said.
For the Youngberg Hill concert, the Salem Concert Band will play a collection of tunes from shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “South Pacific” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and classical pieces, including “Les Vignobles, Suite Francaise,” a French piece set in a vineyard.
“I’m sure this is the first time it will be heard in a concert at an Oregon vineyard,” said Skelton, who directed a version “Les Vignobles” with his high school band when he was teaching in Dallas.
Singer Ken Willeford will join the band for several Gershwin tunes, including “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” Willeford is known in the Salem area for performing with big bands and jazz ensembles.
Proceeds from the benefit concert will help the band buy music, advertise its concerts and rent performance venues, Skelton said. “The economy is tough on all arts groups right now,” he said.
