Roseville Big Band Overview

Mission

The mission of the Roseville Big Band is to celebrate and perpetuate big band music through performances that entertain and educate audiences of all ages about this uniquely-American art form.

Strategic Activities

In support of its mission, the Roseville Big Band:

Provides a setting for highly-skilled amateur musicians to learn about the traditions and nuances of various big band music genres and develop improvisational skills through rehearsals and concert performances

Features both vocal and instrumental performers and emphasizes songs from the Great American Songbook and similar contemporary music

Performs concerts in a variety of settings, including senior residences, parks, community festivals and charity fundraising events at venues in Roseville and throughout the Twin Cities area

Plays at swing dances, including hangar dances sponsored by the Commemorative Air Force, and the Carleton College Mid-Winter Ball

Provides an opportunity for local composers and arrangers of big band music to hear their compositions read through by the band

Holds periodic “sit-in nights” where other local musicians can participate in a rehearsal with the band

Provides an occasional opportunity for an outstanding high school musician to perform a solo with the band at a concert

Maintains an active presence on the internet and social media highlighting past and upcoming band performances, and including links to band performance videos posted on YouTube

The Roseville Big Band is comprised of volunteers who perform for the enjoyment of making good music and entertaining our audiences. In a typical year, we perform for more than 3000 live audience members in 12 to 15 performances, including concerts in parks and senior residences. Many additional viewers in Roseville and nearby suburbs of St. Paul have seen our live broadcasts and still see rebroadcasts on Channel 15, NineNorth (formerly CTV North Suburbs). Others see us on the Worldwide Web.

We also play for dances, including charity fundraisers, class reunions, wedding receptions, and the Commemorative Air Force's USO-style hangar dances. Our variety of performance venues inspired the words to the Roseville Big Band theme song: "Dance to the Big Band Swing".

Our repertoire includes more than a century of standards, both instrumental and vocal, plus new compositions and arrangements written especially for us. Although swing tunes such as In the Mood make up the largest part of our repertoire, we also perform ballads such as Star Dust and Skylark, Latin rhythms, waltzes, polkas, and rock tunes.

We try to increase our concerts' audience appeal by adding special features:

Band members playing solos from within the audience
Vocal duets, trios, and quartets, including The Rosetones adding their four-part vocal harmonies to songs such as Somebody Loves Me and Georgia on My Mind .
Swing dance exhibitions at some performances, by the adult swing dance exhibition group Rhythm & Swing performing to songs such as Rock Around the Clock and Woodchopper's Ball.
Horn moves
Musical "duels", such as the trombone family feud (bass, tenor, and soprano trombones) on our recording of Woodchopper's Ball
Most of our arrangements include improvisation, making each performance unique.

Our sponsorship by the Roseville Parks and Recreation Department ever since Dr. Mark Lammers started the group in 1964 makes us unique in an era of increasing numbers of independent and school-sponsored big bands in the Twin Cities area.

Our audiences participate not only by dancing but by playing maracas and other Latin percussion instruments with the band on songs such as Cha Cha Cha for Judy and Besame Mucho. Audiences also have fun joining us on the hi-de-hos of Minnie the Moocher, spelling Y.M.C.A., and shouting out that famous telephone number: Pennsylvania 6-5000.

The band reaches out beyond Minnesota's Twin Cities to fans of big band music around the world:

Visitors to this web site and the Roseville Big Band Facebook page from dozens of countries
Viewers of our sampler video and other YouTube videos
Concerts streamed live on the Internet (also available for on-demand streaming) from band member Keith Miner's cell phone and band Member Eric Laska's 360-video cameras.
Exposure on National Public Radio
CD sales to individuals in several other states and countries

To learn more about the Roseville Big Band:

Check out our performance schedule.
Sit in one of our semi-annual sit-in night rehearsals.
Read our frequently asked questions (FAQs) and rarely asked questions (RAQs).
Meet our current members, substitute performers, past members, and special guests.
See the names of some of our clients.
Read what people have said about the band.
Learn about Roseville Big Band traditions.
Delve into the history of the organization.

We hope to see you at a concert, dance, or sit-in night soon!

This page was last updated
Tuesday, January 23, 2024.