Campus Life

Oldest, Largest Section Of U.S. Army Field Band To Perform Concert At Texas A&M

March 30, 2017

oncert Band and Soldiers' Chorus at Weidner Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus at Weidner Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
By Elena Watts, Texas A&M University Marketing and Communications

Together, the Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus of the United States Army Field Band are performing a free concert sponsored by the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) at Texas A&M University on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Rudder Auditorium.

“We are strong supporters of our armed forces, and our community has deep ties to all the branches of the military,” said AVPA Director Carisa Armstrong. “This is one of the finest military ensembles in the country, and I had to share it with our community.”

The 29-member “greatest military chorus in the world,” according to renowned orchestra conductor Erich Kunzel, and the 65-member band, the oldest and largest of the Army’s four performing components, are teaming up to provide a broad range of musical programming. The ensemble’s repertoire ranges from inspiring patriotic anthems, “America the Beautiful” and “Stars and Stripes Forever,” to jazz classics, “Songs of Michael Legrand” and “An Ellington Portrait.”

Four Texans—a tenor, a percussionist, an euphoniumist and a trumpeter—are members of the internationally-acclaimed ensemble, which has played to audiences totaling hundreds of millions across the nation and around the world.  A dozen Texas A&M performance studies students and local musicians combined also plan to take part in the production.

From famous concert halls in the world’s most cosmopolitan cities to modest auditoriums in the nation’s most rural communities, all 50 states and 30 foreign countries have hosted the ensemble. They have shared the stage with the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. Kennedy Center Honors programs, the 750th anniversary of Berlin and the rededication of the Statue of Liberty also featured the talented group of musicians and singers. In addition to national tours, members also represent the Army at formal and ceremonial functions, such as the Presidential Inaugural Parade, presidential funerals, and diplomatic efforts overseas.

“I ask that you keep in mind our soldiers, their families and Army civilians who are committed to ensuring our national security and protecting freedom and liberty here in the U.S. and abroad,” wrote U.S. Army Major General Malcom B. Frost in a letter to field band patrons. “It is the Army’s collective strength and your continued support that allows us to persevere and remain the world’s premier combat force.”

Free concert tickets are required for the general seating and are available through the MSC Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are limited to four tickets per person. To reserve tickets, contact the box office at (979) 845-1234, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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Contact: Elena Watts, Division of Marketing & Communications, at (979) 458-8412 or elenaw@tamu.edu, or Eunice McCain-Davis, AVPA Program Coordinator, at (979) 847-2787 or emccain@tamu.edu. Visit www.academyarts.tamu.edu for more information.

For more news about Texas A&M University, see https://today.tamu.edu/.
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