Communities

NU Municipal  Band wraps 80th season

NEW ULM -- The New Ulm Municipal Band performed its 80th anniversary season finale concert Tuesday at the State Street Theater. 

Conductor Don Jirak led the band through a program featuring military marches, polkas, theater selections, and the debut performance of a local 1916 march.

The central feature of Tuesday's concert was the debut performance of “En Route,” a march composed in 1916 by New Ulm native Capt. Joseph C. Hofmeister. Hofmeister served as the director of the 2nd Regiment Band of the Minnesota National Guard. 

In the summer of 1916, Hofmeister and the 2nd Regiment deployed to the Texas-Mexico border following border raids by Mexican revolutionaries. Late that year, Hofmeister wrote “En Route” while traveling home on the train with his unit.

Baritone player and local music historian Daniel Groebner spoke to the audience before the piece to provide historical context for the music. 

“Think about what it felt like for Joseph Hofmeister to be on his way home,” Groebner said. “Think of how he was going along those railroad tracks, clickety-clack, clickety-clack, and how that had a rhythm to it. See if you can hear and feel that rhythm as we play it.”

Hofmeister taught nine of his sons to be professional musicians. 

Several of them went on to play in Whoopee John Wilfahrt’s band, and together with their sister Josephine, the family formed a complete orchestral unit. 

Hofmeister and his family were inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1994.

Groebner spoke earlier in the day about the history of local wind ensembles and his forthcoming book, “Good to Be a Musician: Community Bands and the Making of America.”

“It’s not printed yet,” Groebner said. “I have been watching my email like a hawk.”

The book covers the history of community wind bands across the region and highlights local contributions to Minnesota’s musical tradition. 

Groebner said he expects to distribute pre-ordered copies to supporters before the band’s next rehearsal on Aug. 25.

This concert marked the third consecutive year the New Ulm Municipal Band played at the State Street Theater. 

The indoor tradition began three years ago when the band traveled to St. Cloud for a joint exchange concert alongside the Meire Grove Community Band. 

The Meire Grove ensemble, recognized as the oldest continuous community band in Minnesota, traveled to New Ulm to perform at the State Street Theater the following year. 

The band has continued scheduling an annual appearance at the theater ever since.

The City of New Ulm established the New Ulm Municipal Band in 1946. It grew out of the 205th Infantry Band and the earlier Pioneer Band. 

The band’s current roster includes high school students, retirees, and local workers across several professions, including teachers, lawyers, custodians, doctors, church organists, and lawn care professionals.

Tuesday’s concert opened with the performance of “Star Spangled Banner” by John Stafford Smith, followed by James Curnow's “Fanfare and Flourishes” and Carl Teike's “Old Comrades.” The band then performed Leroy Anderson's “Bugler's Holiday.”

The ensemble continued the first half with “Clarinet Polka,” Karl L. King's “Bonds of Unity,” and Aaron Copland's “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Following a 10-minute intermission, the second half featured a trombone ensemble performance, followed by Hofmeister's “En Route.” 

The band also played selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” Pascual Marquina's “España Cañi,” Hans Hartwig's “Fürstenberg Marsch,” and James Curnow's “Amber Waves of Grain.”

The concert concluded with John Philip Sousa's “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and an audience sing-along to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”

The New Ulm Municipal Band holds regular rehearsals on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cathedral High School band room. 

Community members interested in joining the band can contact Don Jirak at (507) 217-9220.