Army band and chorus to offer patriotic music

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

A salute to the red, white and blue is what’s in store when the U.S. Army Field Band, featuring the Army Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, appears Tuesday at Stambaugh Auditorium.

“It’s a concert band and chorus,” said U.S. Army Field Band Tour Coordinator Master Sgt. David Bullman, calling from Fort Meade, Md. “We tour the country about 100 days a year performing free public concerts to bring the story of the Army to the grass roots of America. We represent the average American soldier to the American people who may not normally come into contact with soldiers on a regular basis. So we’re soldiers; we come to your town, we play a concert for you, we talk to you, we answer your questions about the Army, and everybody goes home happy.”

Though the event isn’t a recruitment effort, per se, recruiters may be present with the U.S. Army Field Band, which was created in 1946 by WWII Gen. Jacob Devers. Its mission statement at that time was the same as it is today: to take the Army to the people of America. Musically speaking, obviously, the program features familiar military songs.

“We’ll do marches, and since we have a chorus, it gives us more versatility,” Bullman said. “So we’ll do some Broadway stuff, a little bit of popular music and, occasionally, orchestra transcription. We always play ‘The Anthem’ and ‘Stars and Stripes Forever,’ as well as the service songs so the veterans in the audience can stand up and be recognized when their service song is played.”

A member of the U.S. Army Field Band for the past eight years, Bullman said interest in the outfit — 65 members in the band and 29 members in the chorus — has remained steady during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. In fact, he said the Army Field Band usually enjoys audiences in the 1,000 to 1,500 range.

“Our following is typically older, but they consist of two groups of people,” Bullman said. “First, there are band aficionados, who are either high school kids in band or people who used to be in band while they were in high school. They come out because it reminds them of a different time of their life.

“And then it’s the same thing with older folks, who might be veterans or have family members who served in the service, Army or whatever. They come out and listen to some good military band music and hear their service song that’s important to them. It’s just an evening of memories and good feelings.”

Bullman is optimistic the U.S. Army Field Band’s upcoming Youngstown appearance will be well-received by all aspects of the mainstream.

“It’s for anybody that likes good music and free concerts,” Bullman said. “Also, the musicians are world-class. We get people from the best music schools in the country, and it will be a fantastic concert regardless of what type of musical taste you have. You’ll hear something you’ll probably like even though you didn’t realize you were going to like it before you heard it. At the very least, you’ll be able to appreciate the quality of the performance.”

if you go

Who: U.S. Army Field Band

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown

Tickets: Call (330) 743-2717