ESCANABA — Members of the Pangbourne and District Silver Brass Band will combine with members of the Mid-Michigan Brass Band from July 26 through Aug. 4 for its “Yooper Tour 2019.” The tour includes a stop in Escanaba July 30. The two bands started touring in 2014, before the Mid-Michigan Brass Band (MMBB) was formed. During the first Michigan tour, the group performed at multiple venues in the Mid-Michigan area, in Petoskey and at the Music in Mackinaw Concert Series in Mackinaw City. Since that time, members from the two groups have combined to compete at the Whit Friday 2015 British Brass Band competition in Saddleworth, England, and have toured together in Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Belgium during the summer of 2016. In May of 2020, members of the MMBB will again travel to England to participate in the Whit Friday competition, with concerts in York, England, following the competition.

They are a traditional, British style brass band with cornets, flugelhorn, tenor horns, baritones, euphoniums, trombones, tubas and percussionists. The performances are all free.

Kick-off of the 2019 tour starts with a concert in the Dow Gardens at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27. They will leave Midland on Monday, July 29, 2019, and head to St. Ignace for their second tour performance at St. Michael United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Their third concert will be in Escanaba at the Karas Bandshell located in Ludington Park on Tuesday evening, July 30 at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 31, they will have a travel and explore day. The bands will leave the Escanaba area and travel to Houghton for the next leg of the tour. During their travel, they plan to visit Bond Falls, Porcupine Mountains and some of the old mining towns in the Copper Country. Their fourth performance will be during the Kestner Concert Series in Houghton on Thursday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m. The Concert Tour will conclude at the Historic Calumet Theater on Friday, August 2, at 7 p.m.

The band will leave the Copper Country on Saturday, Aug. 3, and head to Newberry. During their travel, they will stop at Canyon Falls near L’Anse, at Marquette’s Presque Isle and also make a visit to Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. The bands will return to Midland on Sunday, Aug. 4 for a final dinner before their British friends leave on Aug. 5.

The music repertoire for tour includes “Prismatic Light,” “The Beatles: Echoes of an Era,” “Play a Simple Melody,” “Gabriel’s Oboe,” “The Force Awakens,” “Sydney Overture,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Mack and Mabel,” “Be Still,” “Basin Street Blues,” “Encores: Amazing Grace,” and “Brass Machine.”