Musicians from all over the state and beyond gather twice a month to rehears in Gilford. Cornets, horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas, flugelhorn and percussion instruments are played in ensemble as the Carter Mountain Brass Band practices for concerts that are given on concert stages and community band stands throughout the state.

Under the direction of John Beyrent, retired band director from Gilford High School, amateur and professional brass musicians will perform Saturday at the First United Methodist Church in Gilford at 7:30 p.m.

The band members come from a variety of professions, but are united by a love of music and the desire to communicated that love to the public. Each musician is skilled on one or more instruments and enjoys the chance to play with others, as a soloist or as a member of small ensembles, bands or orchestras. While the band plays a wide range of popular, classical and British band music, this concert will include two special pieces.

"Amazing Transformations" by Dr. Allen Molineux will feature Val Zanchuck as solo cornetist. Molineux and Zanchuck have been friends from the time they were in elementary school, playing trumpet and competing against each other in state festivals. Zanchuck now plays with the New Hampshire Philharmonic Symphony and the Nevers Band as well as the Carter Mountain Brass Band and is president of Graphicast in Jaffrey. Molineux attended De Pauw University, studying trumpet performance and later received degrees from Eastman School of Music and Florida State University. He then went on to teach composition, music theory and brass performance at the university level until his retirement. He arranged this piece specifically to feature his friend.

"Shoutin' Liza Trombone" will feature the trombone section. This piece reminds us of the circus clowns and their antics. Erich Beyrent is the vice president of engineering at Common Places E-Solutions in Sandown. He has been a trombone and euphonium student of Max Culpepper at Dartmouth College and Dave Unland at Ithaca College. Kr. Keith Parrish is a local chiropractor at Cedarcrest Chiropractice Centre. He plays with the Lakes Region Big Band, the Lakes Region Symphony and several other ensembles. T.J. Ellis is a chef-in-training and lives in Georges Mills. This is his first year with Carter Mountain but he has been playing with various community bands and choirs for 13 years. Dr. Steve Gasiorowski is a consulting chemist from Grafton. He is specifically interested in 19th century historic bands and plays in several as well as the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra.

The band will also be playing music from musicals, folk song arrangements, music of the church and a variety of other styles of music.

The concert will be at the First United Methodist Church, located on Route 11-A, Gilford on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $7 per person. Children 12 and under are free.