Rochester Community Concert Band Opens 10th Anniversary Season with a “Celebration” Concert

The Rochester Community Concert Band (RCCB), under the baton of Conductor and Artistic Director Paul F. DeRubeis, is thrilled to announce the opening concert of its milestone 10th Anniversary 2025–2026 season. The aptly titled “Celebration” concert takes place Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo Road, Rochester, Michigan.

This festive evening will bring together thrilling music, world-class artistry, and community spirit. The centerpiece of the program features renowned concert organist Dr. Seung Hee Cho, who will join the RCCB to perform Eugene Gigout’s Grand Choeur Dialogue and the powerful Finale from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 — performed on St. Paul’s magnificent J.W. Walker & Sons English pipe organ, boasting three manuals, 42 stops, and more than 3,000 pipes.

Dr. Cho is celebrated for her artistry as a concert organist, conductor, chamber musician, and educator. She has performed in some of the world’s most distinguished venues, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral (NYC), Princeton University, Boardwalk Hall (NJ), and St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome). As Music Director and Organist at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and a piano and organ instructor at Oakland University, she continues to inspire the next generation of musicians.

In the spirit of celebration, RCCB Principal Clarinet Diane Phillips and Composer/Bassoonist Connor Cummins will step onto the podium as guest conductors. The evening’s program revisits audience favorites from past seasons and introduces new musical adventures, including Richard Strauss’ iconic Also Sprach Zarathustra, Michael Giacchino’s Symphonic Suite from “Star Trek”, Omar Thomas’ moving Shenandoah, selections from Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked, conducted by Phillips, G. H. Huffine’s rollicking low-brass feature Them Basses, the World Premiere of Looking Back composed and conducted by Cummins, and Lisa DeSpain’s thoroughly delightful The Bicycle Shoppe.

Adding to the celebratory spirit, RCCB continues its partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Detroit Harmony Initiative for their October Used Instrument Donation Campaign. Concertgoers are encouraged to dust off any size, unused band or string instruments — in any condition — and bring them to the concert to donate. Representatives from Detroit Harmony and The Greenhorn Project will be present in the lobby to collect donations, helping to put instruments into the hands of Detroit students. To date, DH has distributed over 2,100 musical instruments to the youth of the city.

Admission is free, with donations warmly welcomed to support RCCB’s mission of enriching the community through live music.

The Rochester Community Concert Band is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.

For more information, visit RochesterCommunityConcertBand.org, email Rochestercommunityconcertband@gmail.com or call 248-462-9043.

Follow RCCB on Facebook and Instagram (@Rochesterccband) for updates and behind-the-scenes content as we launch this unforgettable anniversary season.