Emma Yogan
Staff Writer
The Pomona Concert Band held its final performance of the summer season Aug. 27 in Palomares Park.
The performance was dedicated to “An American Musical Journey of 250 Years.” Pieces featured included “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” by John Philip Sousa and “Salute to the Armed Forces” arranged by Jari Villanueva.
Members of the band were conducted by Linda W. Taylor with the assistance of Kerry Kline and Paula Lantz as the Master of Ceremonies.
“It’s important to understand the music that’s played and understand how it’s changed,” said Hector Aguilar.
Hector Aguilar has played the trumpet for the band since 2024. The music takes the audience on a journey when they listen to the performance. His comments illustrated the main focus of the evening, which was different eras in American history presented in musical form.
“I strive to be like those who have been around longer than me, it gives me hope that I can do great things regardless of age,” said Hector Aguilar.
Adriana Aguilar, Hector’s wife, stood towards the back of the room filming her husband while he performed his trumpet solo during “Bugler’s Holiday” by Leroy Anderson and Michael Edwards.
Adriana Aguilar said that the family is there to support Hector Aguilar and the band every week.
“Bugler’s Holiday is for sure my favorite because it’s a fun piece both to play and to listen, dance and move around with,” Adriana Aguilar said.
“I came here with a lot of anxiety from the week I had,” concert attender Ruby Arechar said.
She described her favorite piece being “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” by John Philip Sousa and how the composition calmed her down. She said the concert was historical, mixed with some modern elements celebrating American composers.
In between the first and last four songs, there was a dedicated time for intermission where attendees and musicians could step away from the performance.
During this time, people could socialize, grab a snack, drink or pay for entry into a raffle. The intermission lasted approximately 15 minutes before the second half of the performance and people returned to their seats.
“I really enjoyed playing ‘Beauty and the Beast’ because I was playing timpani and it has a really awesome ending, you can really feel the impact,” said Horacio Peralta, who plays percussion with the band.
He hopes that audience members take away the versatility that the band has in terms of playing different kinds of music.
“You get to meet so many cool people, people with so much previous experience,” Peralta said when describing what makes playing with the band so special to him.
For more information, visit pomonaconcertband.org/calendar.php
Emma Yogan can be reached at emma.yogan@laverne.edu.
Emma Yogan is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is a member of the University of La Verne’s women’s volleyball team and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
