This Sunday the Pearl River County Community Band and Chorus will pay a musical tribute to the men and women who serve and have served this country at their second annual Veterans Day Celebration: A Musical Salute to our Veterans.
Johnny Baker is a former Picayune Memorial High School band director and created the community band in 2008.
“I went to a football game that year and several former students approached me about starting a community band,” Baker said. “I agreed and I’m glad I did.”
The band has grown to include about 90 members, Baker said. The youngest member is about 12-years-old and the oldest is 85-years-old.
Members travel from surrounding areas including Poplarville, Picayune, Slidell, Bogalusa, Diamondhead and the Gulf Coast to lend their musical talents to the group.
Linda Hancock directs the chorus, Baker said.
Baker’s first patriotic themed concert was in 2009 and centered on the events of 9/11. It is now a yearly event.
“This type of concert is designed to ensure people stay aware and appreciate this country’s first responders,” Baker said.
Last year, Baker was contacted by Pearl River Community College to coordinate a Veterans Day celebration concert.
The band and chorus will perform 11 pieces including Semper Fidelis, Hymn to the Fallen, In Honor of the Fallen and Message on the Rock.
“We need to thank these veterans and all our military for all that they do,” Baker said.
The concert will be held Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts at Pearl River Community College at 2:30 p.m.
To learn more about the band and chorus visit www.prccb.org.
Listen to previous performances on YouTube at Pearl River County Community Band.
If people are interested in becoming a member of the band they can contact Baker at 601-798-4999. Rehearsals are held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Picayune.