Edwardsville Municipal Band Presents Special Week of Concerts
The Edwardsville Municipal Band invites the community to a series of concerts this week that reflect the musical heritage of Glen Carbon and Edwardsville in the mid-20th century. The performances will spotlight the work of Anton Poneta, a longtime member of the band whose compositions were a familiar part of local concerts in the 1970s. Inspired by a program performed nearly fifty years ago, the band has reconstructed a full concert that reflects the sound, structure, and style of that earlier era.This special program includes a number of original marches and tone poems composed by Poneta himself, performed alongside works by Franz von Suppé, W.C. Handy, John Philip Sousa, and others—offering a musical portrait of what local audiences would have experienced in a typical summer concert decades ago. The event is presented in cooperation with the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum, which will also display materials connected to Poneta’s musical and personal legacy.
Concerts will take place on three different dates and at three locations:
- Tuesday, August 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum
- Thursday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cleaon Etzkorn Bandstand in City Park
- Sunday, August 10 at 4:00 p.m. at LeClaire Park
Each concert will also feature concessions, with proceeds supporting community causes. On Tuesday, the Edwardsville High School Band Boosters will provide refreshments; funds raised will go toward scholarships in memory of a former student musician whose perseverance and love of music left a lasting impression. Thursday’s sales will benefit Glen Ed Kiwanis, which helps support programs for local children and youth. Sunday’s concessions will be managed by Friends of LeClaire, a group committed to preserving the cultural and architectural history of the LeClaire district.
These performances are free to attend, and the public is encouraged to bring chairs or blankets and enjoy an evening—or afternoon—of music that recalls an earlier time in the life of the Edwardsville and Glen Carbon communities.