The Great Geauga County Fair Band and the Hillcrest Concert Band

To honor the 75th birthday of local musician, Michael A. Fath of Burton, Ohio, Fath’s family commissioned composer Roy J. Hawthorn to create an original concert band composition. The piece entitled A Geauga Fantasy will premier in a joint concert with The Great Geauga County Fair Band and the Hillcrest Concert Band at 7:30 p.m. on July 22, 2014. The concert will take place in the Forest Picnic area of the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, Willoughby Hills, Ohio.

Hawthorn will be directing the performance of his original composition which consists of four parts, each reflecting a different aspect of Fath’s life: Native Son, Berkshire March, The Fair, and Union Chapel. Fath, who plays clarinet in both bands, will be participating in the performance.

Audience members are asked to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy this outdoor concert, which is free and open to the general public. The celebratory concert is expected to attract over 100 musicians from the two bands and will include many popular favorites in addition to the commissioned piece. Hillcrest Concert Band director, Paul Lawrence, and the director of The Great Geauga County Fair Band, Greg Hillis, will take turns conducting the two bands in the remaining numbers.

The Great Geauga County Fair Band has been entertaining audiences since 1938, and is made up of musicians of all ages from seven Northeast Ohio counties. The Hillcrest Concert Band is an adult community concert band that was originally based in the South Euclid / Lyndhurst area (which had a Hillcrest phone exchange), and has travelled worldwide performing classical, popular, and patriotic favorites.