The Rehoboth Concert Band (RCB) has a pretty great origin story. It all started back in 2012, when two Northern Virginia transplants, Sharon Still and Kay Creech, decided to turn a shared dream into something real. Still, a retired high school music teacher, and Creech, a former college business professor turned business owner and realtor, landed in Rehoboth with a plan: build a community band from the ground up. And they did just that. For years, Creech handled the business side while Still led the group as conductor.
They both fully retired in 2024, but the music definitely didn’t stop.
These days, the band is in the hands of conductor Steven Kieley, who came to the area from Poughkeepsie, New York. He spent 34 years teaching both high school and elementary school band in the Wappingers Central School District, so you could say he knows his way around a baton.
“I am humbled and excited to be Music Director of the Rehoboth Concert Band,” Kieley says. “To be selected to direct a group with such a rich history of serving area musicians and audiences alike is a dream retirement gig for me.”
And the band is thriving. It now has more than 60 members and brings together musicians of all ages and skill levels. It’s truly a community ensemble, with adults and students from nearby towns coming together to rehearse and perform everything from classical pieces to contemporary works, show tunes, film scores, marches, and all those concert band favorites people love.
One of those musicians is local resident Deb Woods, a trumpet player who’s part of the band’s wonderfully eclectic mix. She’s not a professional musician, just someone who found her way back to music. Woods first picked up the trumpet in elementary school, then set it aside for years.
That changed when her partner surprised her with a new trumpet. She started taking lessons again at Music and Arts on Coastal Highway in Lewes, and her instructor encouraged her to audition for the band. Kieley sent over the sheet music, and just like that, she was in.
“It’s an inspiring and dynamic group, and I love being exposed to such a wide variety of music,” she says.
The band recently wrapped up a well-attended concert called “Soaring” at Epworth Church on Holland Glade Road, one of the venues where they perform regularly. Looking ahead, they’re gearing up for a series of concerts celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
You can catch them on Wednesday, May 27 at 7 pm at Milton Memorial Park, on Monday, June 1 at 8 pm at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, and again on Tuesday, June 2 at Stango Park on Adams Avenue in Lewes. That last concert is part of the Lewes 250 celebration, which highlights local events tied to the anniversary.
As for support, the band keeps things going through ticket sales from its annual Holiday Peace concert in December, along with grants, donations from members and supporters, and sponsorships from local businesses.
All in all, it’s a group built on passion, community, and a shared love of music—and it shows.
By Mary Jo Tarallo, Resident Journalist
Mary Jo Tarallo spent much of her career in public relations with various non-profits and spent 40 years involved with the ski industry as a journalist, public relations director for a national trade association and as executive director of the Learn to Ski and Snowboard initiative. Prior to her ski industry involvement she worked for the Maryland International Center in Baltimore and United Way of Central Maryland. She won a Gold Award for TV programming for a United Way simulcast that starred Oprah Winfrey. She has been cited for her work by numerous organizations. Mary Jo grew up in Baltimore, attended the University of Maryland and Towson University, lived in Washington, DC for 21 years and has been a full time resident of Rehoboth Beach and Milton since May 2019.
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