A band of teenage Utah musicians are now preparing for what their director calls the biggest performance in the group’s 28-year history — a headlining appearance during the nation’s America 250 celebrations.
Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Super Band will represent Utah on the main stage of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., later this month during what organizers anticipate will be one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in America’s history.
The award-winning Pleasant Grove-based big band-style ensemble is made up of 25 musicians ages 15 to 18. Despite their youth, they’ve performed on stages all over the world, and alongside artists including Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Thurl Bailey and Post Malone.
Still, Chapman, the band’s director and founder, has no doubts this will be the “biggest performance” in the group’s nearly three-decade history.
“We’ve never you had the opportunity to be the headlining act on a national stage at this level,” Chapman said.
“It’s such an incredible opportunity, not just for these musicians, but for Utah to be represented on the biggest stage at the heart of the celebrations for America 250,” he continued. “It’s a historic moment.”
The opportunity came together in an unexpected way just last month.
While performing at Majestic Elementary School in West Jordan as part the of Freedom 250 educational programming, the band spotlighted some of America’s most influential musicians, such as Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and Duke Ellington.
They didn’t know it at the time, but Mary Anne Carter, the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts from Washington, D.C, was in attendance. Impressed with the performance, she later extended an invitation for the band to perform at the nation’s capitol.
“It took a minute for it to sink in with me,” Chapman said. “And especially with the musicians, they’re all teenagers ... when I told them about this opportunity they were pretty animated. They were very excited about it.”
Now, the Crescent Super Band is rehearsing their set while also racing to secure funding for the performance. Tours of this size are typically scheduled about a year in advance so allow ample time for fundraising.
With only a few weeks to prepare, the student cannot earn enough to cover travel, production and other expenses required for the trip. They have launched a GoFundMe, which has raised about $25,000 of their $100,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
Chapman says that despite the short timeline, the band looks forward to sharing Utah’s talent and passion for the arts with audiences from across the country.
“You can bet that Utah is going to be represented,” he said. “We are so passionate about the arts (in Utah), and they are so developed in our communities ... and it’s exciting to showcase what we do for the nation.”
Preparing music for America 250
In preparation for the upcoming concert, the Crescent Super Band has upped its weekly rehearsal time from two hours to five. The group is also receiving a boost of additional help, including recent guidance from Myron McKinley of Earth, Wind and Fire.
Though teenagers, the members of the band are professionally trained musicians who can put together a clean 90-minute set of mostly new music in just a month — roughly 20 hours of practice.
During a rehearsal on Monday afternoon, after a brief setup, tune-up and soundcheck, the ensemble ran through songs including “Footloose,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Crazy in Love” and other songs, making minor adjustments to refine the sound.
All the songs in the set were selected by Chapman, who said he was guided by the question: “What do we want to put on stage to represent and celebrate this great country?”
The band’s program spans American music, beginning with big band-era hits and continuing through ‘50s and ‘60s rock and roll, ‘70s funk and soul, ‘80s arena rock to modern hits before capping off with a few patriotic numbers.
The set includes music from Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Journey, Huey Lewis, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and others.
To close, they will perform an arrangement of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which Chapman describes as a “showstopper.”
“Every time we play it, the audience is just in tears,” he said. “It’s such a powerful number and a great way to celebrate our country and this important birthday.”
After performing in Washington on June 30, the band will go on a brief tour stopping at national landmarks as part of continued celebrations of the nation’s semiquincentennial, including stops at Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and Mount Rushmore.
