(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After a summer of silence, the Wheaton Municipal Band will return to Memorial Park Thursday evening to kick off its 92nd season.
Last year’s season was canceled due to COVID-19, which was especially disappointing since the Wheaton Park District had just completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of the bandshell.
“It started five years ago, so we've been waiting five years to be in the new shell,” WMB board vice president Gail Sonkin said Tuesday. “We are so excited!”
To the loyal audience, the performances will look and feel a bit different, at least for the first concert.
Because the series begins one day before the state of Illinois fully reopens, audience capacity will be limited to roughly 600 and free tickets will need to be reserved at WheatonMunicipalBand.org.
The Wheaton Municipal Band itself will only have 55 members instead of the usual 90 to allow for social distancing.
“Someone actually went out to the stage and measured it out, and we figured out how many people we could safely fit on the stage and we lowered it accordingly,” artistic director Dr. Bruce Moss said.
Dr. Moss said despite the temporary restrictions, he’s looking forward to bringing back live in-person performances.
“It’ll be a special kind of reunion, I think particularly meaningful because we’ve been without it for a year, and musicians and artists, we thrive on this, we’re ready to go back to work.”
The summer concert series begins Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
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