The final concert of this 2024 summer season by the Karl L. King Municipal Band will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Karl L. King Band Shell in Oleson Park. Admission is free, courtesy of the City of Fort Dodge. There will be a homemade ice cream social provided by the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church before and during the concert. People are reminded to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, since there is no public seating provided.

Conductor of the band is Jerrold P. Jimmerson, with Dan Cassady serving as the assistant conductor, and Paul Bloomquist as the announcer. This will be Maestro Jimmerson’s final concert as conductor after 22 seasons, which followed his 43-season playing career with the band under conductors Karl L. King (11 seasons), W.B. Green (seven seasons), and Reginald R. Schive (25 seasons).

Compositions by Karl King are always on the program, including “The Home Town Boy,” which King dedicated to his friend Meredith Willson, along with the “Emporia Galop.” Current conductor Jerrold P. Jimmerson’s march, “King of Fort Dodge,” is also on the program. Jimmerson performed for 11 seasons under King’s baton before the famous conductor passed away in 1971, and has written this march as a tribute to his mentor.

This week’s classical selection is one of the world’s most popular, the “Finale from ‘The New World Symphony” by Bohemian composer Antonin Dvorak. Portions of this famous symphony were composed in Spillville in 1893, while Dvorak was spending the summer in the northeast Iowa area. Another classic will be the “Pilgrim’s Chorus” from the opera “Tannhauser” by German composer Richard Wagner, a favorite selection of Karl King which he frequently performed.

Lighter sounds will be heard from one of America’s most popular musicals, “The Music Man,” by Mason City native Meredith Willson, along with Paul Yoder’s “Rush Street Tarantella,” another favorite of Karl King. Dan Cassady, from Twin Lakes, will be the featured trombone soloist on a collection of Tommy Dorsey melodies with “T.D. — That Sentimental Gentleman.”

This concert will feature a special guest conductor, Andrew Glover, a nationally prominent composer, conductor, and arranger. He joined the staff of the C.L. Barnhouse Company in Oskaloosa in 1998, as executive vice president in charge of music production. Glover now serves as staff composer-arranger and editor, and is the president of that company.

Originally a native of the St. Louis area, he was educated in the public schools of Webster Groves, Missouri. He received his bachelor of music education degree from Central Methodist University, did graduate work at Southeast Missouri State University, and taught in the St. Louis area for several years. His performance experience includes playing Euphonium with the Detroit Municipal Band under the direction of Leonard B. Smith.

Glover’s band compositions and arrangements now number well over 250, most of which are published by the Barnhouse Company, and have been performed, recorded, and broadcast by bands worldwide. Mr. Glover will conduct one of Karl King’s marches, “The Attorney General,” along with a recently discovered unpublished manuscript of an overture written by King in the 1940s titled “The Debutante.”

This final summer concert always closes in the traditional circus way, with the playing of Karl King’s march, “Auld Lang Syne,” followed by our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In case of inclement weather, this concert may be canceled at the starting time or possibly moved to a different location. Any announcements will be made on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/karlkingband/.