John Philip Sousa's Harmonica Wizard March was written in 1930 for the Philadelphia Harmonica Band. This group of 60 boys, directed by Albert Hoxie, had performed for Sousa in 1925. Sousa was so impressed he not only wrote a march in their honor, he learned to play the harmonica himself !

Joining the Corning Area Community Concert Band tonight will be local music teacher Ken VanEtten and the Fabulous Sgro Brothers from Elmira.

The Sgro Brothers have been performing professionally for over 55 years. This includes a stint in the Marine Corps as members of the 2nd Marine Air Wing Band stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina.They are two of the last remaining members of Borrah Minevitch's Harmonica Rascals and Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Gang. In their years with Johnny Puleo they performed at such venues as the Tropicana nightclub in pre-Castro Cuba and the London Paladium. They were seen on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen,The Perry Como Show, the Andy Williams Show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford show and the Ed Sullivan Show among others. They recorded six record albums with Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Gang on the Audiofidelity label. They have performed shows with the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante and Spike Jones.

After marrying sisters from Hornell the brothers moved to Elmira in the 1960's and operated Sgro's Restaurant for many years. In the 1970's they sold their restaurant,recorded a country harmonica album and became the first harmonica duo to play the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville where they were billed as the "Italian Hillbillies". Now retired, they have earned the title of "Elder Statesmen of the Harmonica World" and recently performed at the Whitehouse for the President. Dom, on the chromatic harmonica, and Tony, on the 48 Chord Harmonica, are, without a doubt, two of the greatest "old school" harmonica players alive today.

Ken VanEtten, an instrumental music teacher in the Corning School District, happened upon the piano score for the Harmonica Wizard March on ebay. He wrote the arrangement to be performed tonight for concert band with harmonica soloists. Ken is an avid harmonica collector and historian. He performs regularly with the Sgro Brothers and plays banjo with his bluegrass band, The Corning Grassworks. He teaches at Hugh Gregg and Kent Phillips Elementary Schools and is the Assistant Band Director at West High School.

Mr. VanEtten would like to dedicate tonight's performance to the memory of his father who worked in this very building as a copper wheel glass engraver for Steuben Glass.