Courtesy Photo | Soldiers of the 202nd Army Band's Tuba-Euphonium Quartet perform at the 2025...... read more read more
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky musicians performed at the Tuba-Euphonium Workshop, hosted by the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” at Fort Myer, Virginia, Jan. 29-Feb. 1.
Four Soldiers from the 202nd Army Band, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, were invited to perform at the national-level workshop. The five-day workshop consisted of multiple concerts, recitals, lectures and masterclasses by world-renowned musicians and clinicians.
The team was featured as a guest artist during the Tuba-Euphonium Workshop’s military recital, as well as invited to perform with the Armed Forces Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble at the culmination of the event. Outside of their performances, they attended other concerts, recitals, and masterclasses, further developing their technical skills on their assigned instrument, and enhancing their ability to train for and execute musical missions at a high level.
U.S. Army Spc. Steven Betts-Jimenez, Sgt. Elliott Nickeson, Sgt. Cody Williams, and Staff Sgt. Grant Browder made up the highly specialized team of musicians who participated in this exceptionally rare training opportunity.
“These service members overcame adversity in preparing music with little rehearsal time and pushed themselves as musicians to perform at higher levels than they may have thought possible,” said Williams, team leader of the quartet.
Getting invited to and preparing for a musical mission at this level can be extremely demanding, especially given the part-time nature, limited training time, and high operational tempo of Army National Guard bands.
“This event was proof that the National Guard band program has just as many talented musicians as the active-duty side and has the ability to perform on the same stages and in the same venues as our full-time counterparts,” said Nickeson. “It was extremely important for our Soldiers to experience this workshop as there were so many professional development opportunities, but it was equally as important to network and show the quality of Soldiers there are within the 202nd Army Band, and the Kentucky National Guard.”
Each of the workshop participants were invited back to the stage to join The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” at the culmination of the event for the finale.
“I first saw this display when I attended this workshop as a college student in 2007,” said Williams. “Being able to be a part of that same display was a dream come true for me.”
The 202nd Tuba-Euphonium Quartet is a four-Soldier team that conducts community and educational outreach missions to strengthen community connections and broaden outreach for the Kentucky National Guard.
“I would like to thank my leadership, from my unit, all the way up to the state level, for putting their trust in us,” said Williams. “Their support enabled us to represent our state and all National Guard bands at this event. Musicians from all over the world were in attendance for this conference, and to share the same stage with them was an honor.”
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2025 10:15 |
| Story ID: | 492804 |
| Location: | KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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