What began earlier this year as the hope of a summer diversion for Belmont musicians succeeded beyond the modest expectations of its leader as the Belmont Summer Community Band performed its inaugural concert at a special performance of the Payson Park Music Festival on Thursday, July 31.

With only three rehearsals scheduled before its first-ever show, conductor Arto Asadoorian was hoping for the best from the approximately 50 musician who showed up at Belmont High School a week before the concert. Current and former Belmont High School students and residents, many “who had not picked up their instrument in years” made up the group, said Asadoorian.

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because this is the first time we’ve done it,” said Asadoorian, who is also the Belmont School District’s director of fine arts and performing arts.

“But they came to the first rehearsal and knocked everything out of the park,” he said.

On Thursday, the group performed a wide variety of pieces that included well-known works for band – Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Folk Song Suite” and “Country Gardens” by Percy Grainger – as well as modern works such as the soundtrack to “How to Train Your Dragon,” by John Powell.

The evening’s concert began with a performance by di bostoner klezmer, a trio of talented musicians who played European and American klezmer music. Dena Ressler, the Program Coordinator at Belmont’s Beech Street Center, led the musicians.

At the end of the evening’s showcase – sponsored by the Belmont Lions Club – Asadoorian said the band accomplished everything he had hoped for and is thinking of doing this again next year.

“It was a lot of fun when all you have to do is stand before them and wave your arms,” he said, adding “the toughest part about this evening is getting all the instruments into the truck to bring them back to the school.”

What began earlier this year as the hope of a summer diversion for Belmont musicians succeeded beyond the modest expectations of its leader as the Belmont Summer Community Band performed its inaugural concert at a special performance of the Payson Park Music Festival on Thursday, July 31.

With only three rehearsals scheduled before its first-ever show, conductor Arto Asadoorian was hoping for the best from the approximately 50 musician who showed up at Belmont High School a week before the concert. Current and former Belmont High School students and residents, many “who had not picked up their instrument in years” made up the group, said Asadoorian.

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because this is the first time we’ve done it,” said Asadoorian, who is also the Belmont School District’s director of fine arts and performing arts.

“But they came to the first rehearsal and knocked everything out of the park,” he said.

On Thursday, the group performed a wide variety of pieces that included well-known works for band – Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Folk Song Suite” and “Country Gardens” by Percy Grainger – as well as modern works such as the soundtrack to “How to Train Your Dragon,” by John Powell.

The evening’s concert began with a performance by di bostoner klezmer, a trio of talented musicians who played European and American klezmer music. Dena Ressler, the Program Coordinator at Belmont’s Beech Street Center, led the musicians.

At the end of the evening’s showcase – sponsored by the Belmont Lions Club – Asadoorian said the band accomplished everything he had hoped for and is thinking of doing this again next year.

“It was a lot of fun when all you have to do is stand before them and wave your arms,” he said, adding “the toughest part about this evening is getting all the instruments into the truck to bring them back to the school.”