The entire Cedar Rapids Municipal Band community mourns the loss of Lee Dytrt, a true stalwart of the band and a wonderful musician and man.

Papich-Kuba Obituary and Additional Information Here

Lee J. Dytrt, 71, of Cedar Rapids, died at his home Saturday morning, August 15, 2020. 

Graveside services will be at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 25^th at the Czech National Cemetery, with Pastor John Albertson officiating.  Due to COVID-19 considerations, social distancing and the use of face masks will be strictly observed at the graveside services.  Papich-Kuba Funeral Service, Cedar Rapids is serving the family.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Irene Dytrt; sister, Barbara Chadima and her husband Wayne; brother, Joe Dytrt; and niece and nephew, Kathryn and John Chadima.

He is survived by his sister-in-law Catherine Dytrt, nieces and nephews Joanie (Bryan) Bailey, Susan (Bob) Bradley, Mike (Grace) Dytrt, Stefan (Stephanie) Dytrt, as well as many grand nieces and nephews and many friends.

Lee Jacob Dytrt was born April 15, 1949 in Cedar Rapids.  He graduated as valedictorian from Jefferson High School in 1967 and went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Iowa in 1971, and a Master’s degree in 1973, once again at the top of his class.

He was a member of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band for over 50 years where he played the euphonium.  He served as the band librarian for much of that time.

Lee began working for West Music Company in 1986.  Over the years he took great care in assisting students in their selection of a musical instrument.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lee Dytrt Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o West Music, 1212 Fifth Street, Coralville, Iowa  52241.

Due to the continuing impact of the August 10 derecho, we are pausing our Mini Muni Music concerts for a second consecutive week.

But you can still hear music from the Muni Band as KMRY continues to rebroadcast the series on Sunday evenings. This Sunday (8/23) at 6 pm, KMRY will feature the horn octet that performed earlier this month. You can hear all of the music played during that performance at 93.1 FM, 1450 AM, or online.

We hope everyone is safe and well and that power has been restored to your homes. All of us in the band are proud of the way our community has responded to the disaster–and we are eager to make music for you again soon!

The band is used to performing for you twice a week, and so it has felt weird to have online concerts on Sundays but not on Wednesdays.

We’re fixing that this week with a Wednesday night edition of Mini Muni Music featuring a woodwind quintet!

Same deal as the other performances to date. Watch on our Facebook page beginning at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 5.

In addition to the music, Steve Shanley will be joined by Kelli Swehla, who is a new CRMB commissioner as well as Xavier band director.

Remember, these performances are not archived. Catch the concert live!

With two successful online events featuring online ensembles in the books, we are pleased to announce four more performances.

All of these Sunday evening performances will begin at 7:30 and be streamed live on the band’s Facebook page. They will not be archived for future viewing, so be sure to tune in each Sunday.

August 2 — French horn ensemble
August 9 — Tubas and euphoniums
August 16 — Brass quintet
August 23 — Clarinet quartet

The second online concert in a series of small ensemble performances is set for Sunday, July 26 at 7:30 pm and will feature four of the band’s outstanding clarinetists as well as Steve Shanley and vocalist Lynn Rothrock in conversation.

The concert will be live streamed on the Municipal Band’s Facebook page, but will not be archived for future viewing.

The concert is the second in a series following a July 19 live stream featuring four members of the band’s percussion section as well as a conversation between Shanley and the trumpeter Denny Hodge, a mainstay of the band for decades.

Future concerts are in the works, including an August 9 performance featuring the band’s tuba and euphonium players.

The City Band Commission will meet in formal session at 8:00 PM on Monday, 13 July 2020. Due to the pandemic, this meeting will be held online only. Meeting in person will be impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19 as well as limitations on size of gatherings.

This meeting, like all Commission meetings, is open to the public. If you wish to attend, please write to Scott Haney, Business Manager, at business AT crmuniband.org and the meeting information will be sent to you.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a City program, service, or activity, should contact the Municipal Band Business Manager at 319-431-9649 or email business AT crmuniband.org as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the event

Earlier this week, the Band Commission met to discuss the performance options for the 2020 Season. With sadness, the Commission announces that the regular season is cancelled and there will be no full-band concerts this year.

We are considering alternatives for the CRMB to continue connecting with our community this summer. Some ideas include:

1) Individual band members presenting a short “concert” and/or presentation online (fun history of their instrument, a short talk on their favorite Sousa marches, could be ANYTHING).  We are working to get these set up for June.

2) Small-group performances later in the summer, if new research, best practices, and recommended safety protocols allow.  It is possible these performances could occur outdoors for live audiences, but they would, at the very least, be broadcast so audience members can enjoy safely from home.

The Commission will meet in late June or early July to reevaluate possibilities. This is our 70th season, and we certainly aren’t going to let it go by unnoticed! So stay tuned for more news!

The City Band Commission will meet in formal session at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 19 May 2020. Due to the pandemic, this meeting will be held online only. Meeting in person will be impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19 as well as limitations on size of gatherings.

This meeting, like all Commission meetings, is open to the public. If you wish to attend, please write to Scott Haney, Business Manager, at business AT crmuniband.org and the meeting information will be sent to you.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a City program, service, or activity, should contact the Municipal Band Business Manager at 319-431-9649 or email business AT crmuniband.org as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the event

We are sorry to report that due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, we must indefinitely postpone CRMB auditions. We will not be able to pick a new date (if any) until the current situation stabilizes.

We appreciate everyone’s patience, and we hope to see everyone out there for a wonderfully musical summer.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz presented the proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 on Feb 6. Budget details are available on the city’s website. Per the Iowa Code section 384.15A, documents for total maximum property tax dollars: https://bit.ly/2w6QLaY

You will find a permanent link to this information HERE.