On Friday, September 25, the Topeka Community Concert Association hosted the first concert of their 85th season in White Concert Hall, played by the Fountain City Brass Band.

The TCCA runs a concert season from September to April every year, with on average five different performances. The first concert hosted the Fountain City Brass Band, a group hosted in Kansas City which is made up of musicians from all around the country.

The Fountain City Brass Band is a standard 30 piece brass and percussion ensemble that was founded in 2002. The FCBB seeks to bridge the gap between popular and classical music. The band has won seven U.S. Open Brass Band Championships and four North American Brass Band Championships. In November of 2009, the Fountain City Brass Band became both the first American band and the first non-UK band in over 50 years to win a major brass band competition on UK soil at the Scottish Open Brass Band Championships.

The band itself is directed by Dr. Joseph Parisi, but the Artistic Director is Dr. Lee Harrelson, who also plays the Euphonium during the show. Dr. Harrelson has major solos in two of the 10 pieces performed, and was even one of the people that wrote the arrangement of the last piece.

The TCCA is run by a group of board members headed by their president Debbie Packard.

“We like to provide a variety of concerts, so we look for ways to do different kinds of music. One of the board members knew about the FCBB and recommended having them come as she had heard them before and thought they were fantastic.”

“I thought the concert was fabulous, everyone seemed to love it. Most of the people out there playing are professional musicians who are doing this on a volunteer basis because they love to play good music. You can’t beat people doing what they want to do.”

“We have plenty of concerts between now and the end of the season. We are an association that provides family friendly, high-quality, cultural, music events in a season ticket situation. It is free for Washburn students to attend.”

You can hear clips of the different concerts and learn more about the TCCA at www.TopekaCCA.org.