The Bangor Band has played on for nearly 150 years, making it one of the oldest continuous playing bands in the United States. The achievement will be celebrated in an anniversary concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. The band will perform marches, classical pieces and show tunes, including highlights from “Funny Girl.”

Conducted by Fred Goldrich of Trenton, the band has 45 members ranging in age from teenager to beyond 80. They travel from as far away as Fairfield, Castine, Howland and Trenton to rehearse.

Band president Lori Wingo, the first woman in the history of the band to hold that position, plays principal trumpet.

“It’s like sitting down with your aunts and uncles and cousins and relatives and making music together,” she said.

On April 1, members who have drummed, trumpeted, oom-pahed and trilled with the band for more than 25 years will be honored. They are: Bill Miller, percussion; Don Meninghaus, trombone section leader; Leo Thayer, clarinet; Henry Watson, assistant conductor and bass clarinet; and Bob Gallon, tuba.

Watson, 82, of Howland, a former music teacher in schools in Maryland and Maine, has been with the band for 27 years.

“I enjoy playing,” he said, having served under six conductors. On April 1, he will conduct one of his favorite marches, “The British Eighth.”

“It’s very strong musically, stately – it’s a good solid march,” he said of the tune.

“The Bangor Band was built on marches,” Wingo said.

The band was established in the winter of 1859 by William Standish and known as the Bangor Concert Band. During the Civil War, it became a regimental band for the 2nd Maine Infantry, and later the 14th Maine Regiment. The band was on hand when the United States recaptured Fort Sumter, S.C., from the Confederacy.

A host of dignitaries, including Gen. George B. McClellan, President Theodore Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, Adm. Robert E. Peary, and U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, have been serenaded by the Bangor Band. In those years, Wingo said, it was common for the band to play 60 or more concerts each year.

The key to keeping the band playing on for another 150 years, said Wingo, is the regular infusion of younger players.

“If we don’t nurture the love of this type of music in young people, we’ll lose it,” she said.

Molly Segee, a student at Old Town High School, and Liz Graham, a Hampden Academy senior, are the two youngest members of the Bangor Band.

“I like working with more experienced musicians. It has helped me grow,” said Graham, a French horn player. “It’s fun! I get to work with people I don’t usually have a chance to work with.” Graham plans to attend the University of Maine in the fall and continue to be a Bangor Band member as long as her academic schedule allows it.

To continue to attract younger members, Wingo said, the band is establishing a scholarship program available to students who serve at least two years as Bangor Band members.

But, Wingo emphasized: You don’t have to be a teenager to join the Bangor Band.

“Dust off your horn and come on back,” she said. “It’s challenging and fun.” The band plays level 4-6 music, and there is an audition process.

As band president, Wingo hopes to expand awareness of the band, enlarge the audience and attract new players, young and old. She also is working with the board of directors to sponsor a contest to commission an original piece in celebration of the band’s longevity.

The Bangor Band rehearses 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at the Bangor Parks and Recreation building, 647 Main St. The group plays 15 to 20 concerts each year, as well as the summer concert series on Tuesdays, June through August.

For information, visit www.bangorband.org, or call Wingo at 581-2525 or 945-3811.