Karl L. King Municipal Band ANNOUNCES FEBRUARY CONCERT

The Karl L. King Municipal Band will open their 2023 indoor winter season on Sunday, February 19th, with a concert beginning at 3:30 pm in the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium. There is no admission charge, with these concerts being provided free to the public by the City of Fort Dodge. Jerrold P. Jimmerson is the conductor of the Karl King Band, with Dan Cassady serving as the assistant conductor, and Paul Bloomquist as the band’s announcer.

This February 19th concert will be the band’s annual tribute to former conductor Karl L. King. King was born on February 21, 1891 in Paintersville, Ohio. After his childhood in Ohio, he left in 1910 at the age of 19 and traveled for 9 years playing with several different circuses or conducting several of their bands. He reached the pinnacle of success twice during those years, first as the Euphonium player in the Barnum and Bailey Circus Band of 1913, and then as conductor of the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus Band during the 1917 and 1918 seasons.

When Karl King arrived in Fort Dodge in the fall of 1920 with his wife Ruth and infant son Karl, Jr., he was already a well-established performer, conductor, composer, and publisher of band music. He continued to write music, totaling almost 300 compositions, along with directing the local Municipal Band for 50 years and eventually opened his own music store and publishing business here.

Selections composed by Karl King will include his march, “Emblem of Freedom”, along with his overture, “Princess of India”; a beautiful aerial waltz, “The Silver Fountain”; and an exciting circus galop, “The Whippet Race”. Two other marches were dedicated by composers to King, and are also on the program – “King Karl King” by Henry Fillmore, and “Royal Decree” by W.P. English.

Special guest soloist will be Tim Miller, cornet/ trumpet, from Humboldt. Mr. Miller is now retired after a long and successful career at both Humboldt High School (7 years) and Humboldt Junior High School (24 years). He had previously taught 5-12 Band for 9 years at the Sheffield-Chapin Schools. Tim is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant with a BME degree, and has done graduate work at both the University of South Dakota and the University of Iowa. In addition to playing Solo Trumpet with the King Band, Tim also performs with Jive for Five, Lone Tree Revival, the 515 Big Band, and the Northfield Church Praise Band.

Mr. Miller will perform the classic Herbert L. Clarke cornet solo, “The Bride of the Waves”, which was originally performed with the John Philip Sousa

Band by Clarke himself. For an encore, another King Band member, David Swaroff from Belmond, will join Miller for a cornet duet on Karl King’s composition, “Wood-Nymphs Polka”.

A special tribute in memory of long-time vocalist soloist with the band, Robert Patton from Gowrie, who passed away on January 20, will be offered, with band member Roger Netz from Manson performing “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, a frequent solo sung by Mr. Patton with the band.

Rounding out the program will be a salute to President’s Day, “Abraham Lincoln March”, by Edwin Franko Goldman; a medley of well-known popular songs titled “Irving Berlin Showstoppers”; and George Gershwin’s hit, “Oh, Lady Be Good”. These concerts always close in the traditional way with the playing of our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. In case of inclement weather, this concert may be cancelled on the concert day. Any announcements will be made on the band’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook. com/karlkingband/ or on the band’s website at www. karlking.us. The next performance by the Karl L. King Municipal Band will be the Band’s annual Irish Concert on Sunday, March 19th, also held in the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium at 3:30 pm.