Rehoboth Concert Band

The Rehoboth Beach Convention Center was packed with 350 people in attendance for the Rehoboth Concert Band’s inaugural Veterans Day performance in 2024. Band director and Co-op member Steven Kieley had guided his musicians through an amazing set, closing the show with an inspiring rendition of “God Bless America.” As he turned from the band to the audience, he spotted a gentleman who had been singing along in the front row. He was so moved by the song that tears streamed down his face. The moment represented the power of well-played music in action, and the joy of Kieley’s work: turning a concert into an experience.
 

“Often, that first rehearsal isn’t quite what you thought it would sound like. So you take that and try to mold it and shape it and work on it with your musicians,” Kieley says. “Then, to go out on stage and say ‘Look what we can do,’ and to have the audience respond to that — that’s the thing that keeps me coming back.” 

Kieley’s leadership of the band — beginning in 2024 —  served as his return to the world of directing following his retirement in 2019 after 37 years as an elementary and high school band director. 
 

The Rehoboth Concert Band was first organized in 2012 in an effort to assemble a community band closer to the Delaware beaches. At the time, the nearest band was more than 30 miles away in Milford. Original band member and current Board President Dianne Deming says she first heard about the band’s call for open rehearsals from a friend who had seen an article in the Cape Gazette. It sought local musicians of all experience levels looking to “play just for fun.”
 

“Fourteen of us showed up to the first rehearsal, and by our first show the following February, there were around 30 of us in the band,” Deming says. 

Fourteen years later, the band has expanded to upwards of 60 members, so many they have had to start a waitlist for those interested in joining. From September through June, the group is hard at work practicing for their six yearly shows, including the Veterans Day concert, a holiday peace concert, their spring outdoor concert series and a fundraising show for the Cape Henlopen Senior Center. The band operates as a nonprofit, and while it does accept donations, the majority of its shows are free to the public — its holiday peace concert serves as the band’s sole fundraising performance. 
 

As the Rehoboth Concert Band has grown in talent and following for more than a decade, one of its continued goals is to bring the fun and connection of live music to more audiences beyond the coastal communities. This year, the group is excited to be hosting their Veterans Day concert at Indian River High School, a step in the direction of expanding their reach.
 

For band member Neil Beahan, performing with the band has served a dual purpose: allowing him to create music with a collective that shares his passion for playing, as well as sharing that passion with a broader community.
 

“You grow to know these people. You play music with them, which is such a unique skill, and you do it for many years,” Beahan says. “Then you take that skill set and present it to other people.”

For Deming, the importance of bringing people together through a shared love of music is a cornerstone of the band's mission: enriching community life. Using her musical talents in collaboration with other musicians is a gift she’s glad to be able to give. 
 

“Music is so unifying. I mean, even though we all come from different backgrounds, together we can create magic,” Deming says. “Not only among ourselves, but to help unify an audience as well, in their experience of what we are able to share. I think we need that now more than ever.”

To learn more about the band and to find upcoming concert dates, check out their Facebook page or visit their website: www.rehobothconcertband.org/.

Read more stories from this year's edition of Delaware Living magazine here.