Photo by U.S. Navy Senior Chief Musician Adam Grimm
This summer, the U.S. Navy brings music to Pickerington as part of a multi-state tour by the U.S. Navy Concert Band. The performance takes place Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. at Pickerington North High School.
“For many years, Navy bands have been where it matters, when it matters, just like the rest of our Navy,” says Capt. Kenneth Collins, U.S. Navy Band commanding officer. “Today, we have sailors performing around the world, improving relations with our allies abroad as well as telling the Navy story here at home.”
The Pickerington date is part of a 13-show tour that covers six U.S. states.
The U.S. Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard, is the flagship musical organization of the Navy and performances by its ensembles are one of the flagship outreach programs for the Navy. There are 11 official U.S. Navy bands worldwide.
The U.S. Navy Concert Band is the premier wind ensemble of the Navy. Its repertoire includes patriotic selections, marches, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble compositions. The group is the original Navy band ensemble and has been performing at public concerts and high-profile events for nearly a century.
In addition to the Concert Band, the Navy Band organization includes the Ceremonial Band, Sea Chanters chorus and the jazz-centric Commodores. All of the groups are comprised of full-time professional musicians, many with graduate degrees in music.
The ensembles tour each year to various regions of the country to allow the Navy Band to reach audience across the U.S. who may not be able to see the Navy Band group’s more regularly. Those tours typically comprise 12-15 weeks of the year.
The concerts are family-friendly events, meant to be entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy.
Read more about Pickerington in the latest issue of Pickerington Magazine.
Cameron Carr is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
