Ocean City Pops...
About the Pops and Their 2007 Events Schedule at the Historic Music Pier!

The Great Music Tradition of Ocean City
Almost a hundred years ago in 1905, the great music tradition of Ocean City was born at the foot of Moorlyn Terrace. Free band concerts were enjoyed at the Music Pavilion which stood not far from where the present day Music Pier stands. The disastrous boardwalk fire of 1927 destroyed a large section of the boardwalk, but the Music Pavilion was spared and it was moved to Sixth and the Boardwalk where it served as Convention Hall till 1965 when another fire finished it off.

In 1928 work began on the Music Pier and the new concert hall rose out of the ashes of the original site like the Phoenix. The Pier was completed in 1929 and was dedicated on July 4th with much hoopla including fireworks and a parade. Free concerts by the new Municipal Orchestra conducted by Orestes Vassella entertained crowds twice a day, seven days a week. This was before even radio was commonplace and of course, well before TV. The concerts provided a welcome distraction from the nation’s economic woes.
The orchestra operated under a variety of names and conductors until the present day. Vassella was followed in 1930 by J.F. Leman and George Frey who led the orchestra for only six weeks apiece. Then came H. Siegal and a trio in 1931; Siegal was followed by Don Luigino in 1932. J. Fred Manne conducted the small ensemble from 1933 to 1945 and began using vocal soloists. The first two were Tom Perkins and Jeanette Stokes. Audience members dressed up for the occasion.

The Pier was left unscathed by the hurricane of 1944 and as the song goes, "The Band Played On". Along came Clarence Fuhrman who led the orchestra from 1950 to 1975. He wielded the baton longer than anyone until now and used a variety of vocal soloists. Until Furhman arrived, the podium mount was held by Joseph LaMonaca, 1946-48 and Victor Marandino for the 1949 season. When Fuhrman completed his tenure with the orchestra, he was succeeded by John Warrington who first used the name The Ocean City Pops. Warrington was conductor from 1976 to 1978 when he was felled by illness in mid-season. The orchestra bassoonist and manager, Frank Ruggieri reluctantly took over the baton and held it till 1986. At that time William Scheible, the first chair trumpeter, became the Director. He has held that post for seventeen years and made the ensemble the highly respected orchestra that it is today