“Every year we look forward to hosting a concert by the Marine Band of Allentown at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church,” says Mark Held, Concert Coordinator of the church’s Worship and Music Committee.

The Marine Band of Allentown, conducted by Matthew Becker, presents its “Summer Concert,” 7 p.m. June 28, Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church, Allentown.

“They always perform a nice variety of music so there’s something for everyone,” Held says.

The concert opens with the “Star Spangled Banner,” followed by Henry Fillmore’s dazzling march “Americans We.” Composed in 1928, the work was originally named the “Pure Food and Health Show March” to coincide with its premiere performance during the show at the Cincinnati Zoo. In 1929, the march was renamed “Americans We.”

Renowned U.S. Army Band arranger John Cacavas’ “Star Spangled Spectacular” presents several of George M. Cohan’s patriotic songs, including “Over There,” “Yankee Doodle Boy” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” followed by the “Semper Fidelis March” and “Amazing Grace.”

The selection, “Victory at Sea,” by Robert Russell Bennett provides passages of musical themes used in the 1952 film series “Victory at Sea,” a documentary about World War II. Key passages include the main theme, “Song of the High Seas”; sounds of submarine warfare; the culture and atmosphere of the South Pacific Islands; the intensity and chaos of sea battles; loss and remembrance, and the feeling of returning home after World War II.

The concert continues with “Shenandoah,” a popular folk song dating back to the early 19th century, followed by Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” the “Armed Forces Salute” and John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Marine Band of Allentown, “Summer Concert,” 7 p.m. June 28, Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church, 3441 Devonshire Road, Allentown. Free. Information: https://www.allentownmarineband.org/

“The Macungie Band has a long tradition of performing at Emmaus Community Park during the summer,” says Macungie Band Conductor Michael Moran.

Macungie Band presents its concert at 6 p.m. July 6, Emmaus Community Park, Emmaus.

“It’s one of the performances we look forward to every year since Emmaus is almost considered our hometown and because of the extremely enthusiastic audience who attends each year.”

The concert opens with Henry Fillmore’s arrangement of “Poet and Peasant Overture” by composer Franz von Suppe. With the advent of animated films, studios often used classical music to accompany the images. This piece plays a prominent role in the 1935 Popeye the Sailor cartoon short “The Spinach Overture.”

The band performs “Powerhouse” by Raymond Scott, heard in Warner Bros. cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters, and Jay Bocook’s arrangement of the “Young Person’s Guide to John Williams” with songs from “Hook,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial).”

From animated films to Hollywood and the theater, the concert continues with Warren Barker’s “Hooray for Hollywood,” “A Tribute to Whitney Houston” by Victor Lopez and Paul Yoder’s arrangement of highlights from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

The Macungie Band then presents several patriotic works, including Frank Erickson’s “Selections from 1776,” a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence; Ayatey Shabazz’s “Of Honor and Valor Eternal,” paying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first Black military airmen; John Wasson’s “Land of Liberty,” a medley of favorite patriotic selections, and “Armed Forces - The Pride of America!,” arranged by Larry Clark and Greg Gilpin.

The concert concludes with John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Says Moran, “This year’s concert will provide audience members with a wide variety of musical styles and tastes, everything from classical to Whitney Houston.

“And of course, being so close to July 4th, there will be plenty of patriotic selections to get the toes tapping and the flag waving.”

Macungie Band, 6 p.m. July 6, Emmaus Community Park, 1330 Chestnut St., Emmaus; Free. Information: https://www.macungieband.com/

“Classical View” is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com