Published: 10/16/2022 4:05:17 PM
The United States Marine Band is coming to Concord High School and John Stark Regional High School next week as part of its tour of the Northeastern U.S., where they will work with music students and perform a free public concert.
The band will perform an evening concert at Concord High School on Oct. 20, which is free and open to the community.
On Oct. 21, Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig, who is originally from Manchester, will work with the CHS band. A Marine Band bass player will work with the CHS orchestra, and a percussionist will be working with percussion students, according to music teacher Gabe Cohen.
The same day, Marine Band saxophonist Staff Sgt. Connor Mikula will visit John Stark Regional High School to work with band students on tone production and discuss the importance of practice.
“This extraordinary opportunity gives our band students the chance to witness an intimate live performance from a professional musician,” said John Stark Regional High School band director Dan Williams. “They’ll learn about what military bands offer and get some valuable information about how to form good practice habits. All of this would greatly benefit our larger but younger band not only this year but in the years to come.”
The Marine Band, founded in 1798, is America’s oldest continuously-active professional musical organization. The band’s mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and has performed for every U.S. President since John Adams.
The band is back to touring throughout the Northeast after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, performing musical selections in the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891. Concertgoers can expect a mix of works including traditional band repertoire, Sousa marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and a tribute to the Armed Forces.
“We have tremendously appreciative patrons who come to Marine Band concerts for all types of different experiences, so our programs are designed to include a great variety of music that mirrors the wonderful diversity in our national musical heritage,” Fettig said.
For more details, including ticket information, visit marineband.marines.mil/tour.