Situated in the heart of Newport at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Mill Street, Touro Park will once again resound with band music this summer. The Rhode Island Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Robert Franzblau, will present the inaugural performance of a new concert series at 3 pm on Sunday, June 4, in Touro Park next to the Newport Tower. Admission is free, and the public is invited to bring blankets and chairs and enjoy an afternoon of family-friendly music!

Thanks to the efforts of Historic Music of Newport, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Newport’s rich musical heritage, the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble’s concert is the first of three Touro Park concerts this summer. Subsequent concerts, featuring other community-based concert bands, are scheduled for June 12 and July 23.

Founded in 1969, the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble is a modern wind band of fifty skilled professional and avocational musicians of all ages and from all walks of life who believe that live music helps build community. RIWE provides a performance forum for this diverse volunteer membership to share their love of music with people of the Ocean State. The ensemble performs a wide variety of music at a high level: transcriptions from light orchestral repertoire; traditional, ethnic, and contemporary band repertoire; and jazz, Broadway musicals, and movie scores.

According to its conductor, the ensemble will perform a varied program of music. “We are thrilled to be back in Newport this June, following our February concert inside the Newport Marriott atrium,” stated conductor Franzblau. “We’re especially excited to include three historic marches from the Gilded Age in our concert that have direct Newport ties: two written by Newport-based Navy musician Joseph Peckham, and another march titled ‘The Belles of Newport.’ We’ll also play music from the British, American, and Portuguese band traditions, as well as some great Broadway favorites.”