Marine Band in campus concert

Staff report

NEW WILMINGTON, PA.

“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band will give a concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in Orr Auditorium at Westminster College.

Tickets are free but should be obtained in advance (limit four per request) at westminster.edu/celebrity, by calling 724-946-7354, or visiting the box office in Patterson Hall at Westminster College.

Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m. Nonticket holders will be admitted thereafter.

In the style of John Philip Sousa, who was the band’s 17th director and who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891, Marine Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig has chosen an assortment of musical selections, from traditional band repertoire and Sousa marches to instrumental solos and a salute to the Armed Forces.

“We always try to highlight music on our programs that celebrates the region we are visiting, whether it be marches that provide a connection or folk music that might be associated with certain areas of the country,” said Col. Fettig.

The Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization.

Founded in 1798, the band has performed for every U.S. president since John Adams. Known as “The President’s Own” since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band’s primary mission is to provide music for the president and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

For information, contact Georgene Gibs at gibsg@westminster.edu or 724-946-7354.