Photo By Sgt. Tiffany Edwards | Maya Goss, 11, wins a water bottle, t-shirt and lanyard after completing a sit-up...... read more read more
Subscribe
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A thunderous crescendo swept the room, followed by utter silence. Then the applause began, building as the audience stood to their feet, cheering.
This was the scene after each concert during the Marine Corps Band New Orleans spring tour from April 29 – May 11, 2015, that brought them through Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Missoula and Billings, Montana; Rapid City, South Dakota, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Normally, the band’s yearly tours stay within the continental U.S., but according to Lt. Cmdr. Alexandrea Kovacs, the director of music for Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Tecumseh Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Band, the concerts in Calgary, Alberta, began through a friendship and a phone call. Kovacs met and befriended Marine Corps Band New Orleans bandmaster Master Sgt. William Call in 2013 while working together during a Great Lakes tour with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Band. Call proposed that during the Marine Corps Band New Orleans’ spring tour of the northern U.S., the band could play two concerts in Calgary, Alberta for the commemoration ceremony of the World War II naval Battle of the Atlantic.
“I consider it professional development, not only for myself as a director watching other directors and conductors, but for my Sailors and musicians to witness a professional organization like the Marine Corps Band New Orleans and how they go about their training, set-up and performances,” Kovacs said.
The band performed at Foothills Alliance Church on May 2, and then joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve band for a ceremony and concert at the HCMS Tecumseh drill center on May 3, playing several selections from the WWII era, such as “Sinatra in Concert,” “Homefront,” and a few contemporary pieces, including medleys from the films “The Sound of Music” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“Marine Corps Band New Orleans is an absolute delight to work with,” Kovacs said. “It’s a perfect example of different services working together under any circumstance for a common goal.”
“It’s been a great experience for us,” Call said. “The most important thing we do as Marine musicians is pay tribute and homage to our long history, and it’s great to see that the Royal Canadian Navy does the same.”
After the Calgary concerts, the band traveled to the University of Montana, where they participated in a master class by Dr. David Maslanka, renowned composer and creator of the two-part wind ensemble symphony, “Give Us This Day,” which was performed by the band at each concert. The class presented the band with the unique opportunity to perform a piece with the original intent of the composer in mind.
“It’s a beautiful thing to work with an ensemble of this ability,” Maslanka said. “It is very easy to work with a group that is so well-prepared; they are capable of making a very beautiful and powerful sound. It has been a great experience for me, and very interesting for them too I’m sure.”
The band then performed a combined concert with the University of Montana wind ensemble on May 4, at the university’s Performing Arts center.
For the Marines completing the spring tour, the concert series provided them with valuable experiences with other musicians and organizations.
“It’s been an extremely valuable experience for the Marines, myself included,” said Cpl. Justin Perez, a french horn player with Marine Corps Band New Orleans. “A lot of us only work under our current directors, and this tour has given us the opportunity to work with a Royal Canadian Navy conductor as well as other directors, and has given us the chance to adjust how we play and adapt to working with different people.”
The tour also provided ceremonial support for veterans’ organizations like the Marine Corps League.
“We are trying to promote the Marine Corps itself as well as the league here to help people understand the league doesn’t just have meetings, we also get out and do things,” said Rob Courtier, a retired Marine sergeant with the Cheyenne Marine Corps League Detachment 772. “So when we heard the band was coming, we started our planning to support immediately.”
The Marine Corps League detachments in Rapid City, South Dakota and Cheyenne, Wyoming supported the events with attendance as well as providing food to the band.
“In my opinion, touring is the best thing we do as a band, because we are able to bring the Marine Corps story to the public,” said band director Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bryan Sherlock. “Most of the time with these tours, we go to areas that don’t normally have performances from Marine Corps bands. We try to follow a recruiting aspect by performing at high schools and colleges as well as churches and performing arts centers, and contacting recruiting stations, Reserve units and Marine Corps League detachments to provide visibility.”
For Marine Corps Band New Orleans, telling the Marine Corps’ story through music has given them the opportunity of a lifetime and a chance to build relationships across North America.
For more information about the Marine Corps Band New Orleans, visit their website.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2015 10:29 |
| Story ID: | 164250 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marine Corps Band New Orleans sweeps through Canada, northern U.S. during annual Spring Tour, by Sgt Tiffany Edwards, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
