Thursday, August 29 will be the final concert of Idyllwild’s free
Summer Concert Series’ 25th anniversary season. The finale will
feature the 45-piece US Marine Corp Division 1 Concert Band. The Band
has been visiting Idyllwild for over 40 summers, and they have
participated in the Summer Concert series since its inception in 2000.
There will be no opening act due to the complexity of the stage and
sound set-up required for a band of this size, and the music begins at
7PM.

This will be Captain Eric Kyne’s third time leading the band in
Idyllwild. He will share conducting duties with Staff Sergeant Tutor,
an Enlisted Conductor whose first responsibilities included organizing
this concert, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steve Giove, retired, who
led many concerts in Idyllwild while stationed on the west coast.
Master Sergeant Timothy Otis, retired, will be performing on trumpet.

The 1st Marine Division is the oldest, largest and most decorated
division of the US Marine Corps, and the wind ensemble one of the
nation’s finest military ensembles. Kyne told the Crier their program
will be “a far-ranging evening of music from classical to jazz,
Afro-Cuban Latin to our standard repertoire of Patriotic marches.” The
group travels extensively across the US. ” It has been a busy summer
for us and the following day we will be performing at the Rady Shell
with the San Diego Symphony for an evening of Tchaikovsky.”

Kyne had a few choice words for Series founder and producer, USMC Band
veteran Ken Dahleen. “Ken is a national treasure, and we eagerly await
his performance requests each year.” Dahleen has said this celebratory
silver anniversary season will be full of surprises, and Kyle backs
him up on this; “We don’t want to give away all of the surprises but
be prepared for a thrilling evening.”

USMC Division 1 Concert Band, 7 p.m. Aug. 29. Butterfield
Amphitheater, 54201 Ridgeview Drive, access through the Idyllwild
Community Center Playground Parking lot on Highway 243, just south of
town.