Though the 100th year celebration of the Ohio University School of Music is nearing its end, historical musical acts continue to be drawn to Athens. Some of the groups featured even hold historical value on a national level.
The next act is the United States Army Field Band of Washington D.C., an ensemble that comprises both the U.S. Army’s Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus. The ensemble will perform a free show Saturday night at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, which is sponsored by OU’s School of Music. The concert is part of the ensemble’s fall tour, which consists of a 21-day tour across the Midwest.
The two groups are the largest and oldest sections of the Army Field Band with a 65-member band and 29-member choir. The group tours 100 days of the year, sometimes performing at events as large as the Presidential Inauguration Parade and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Its main mission is to “tour and spread the army’s message to the grassroots of the country,” Master Sgt. Jason Stephens said.
The group’s six decades of performance and travel have deemed them the “Musical Ambassadors of the Army.” In a way, the historical relevance and success of the ensemble is comparable to that of OU’s School of Music, Stephens said.
Stephens said it’s an honor to perform “at an institution like Ohio University, especially somewhere that’s celebrating a 100-year anniversary.”
Some of OU’s students have experienced an interest in attending the concert for various reasons.
Ryan Shearer, a junior studying geographic information systems, said he “would love to hear a good concert band” because he did that in high school and misses the music.
Chris Mediate, a freshman studying strategic communication, said though he loves band music, he also said that he would attend because he’s “very patriotic.”
Another part of what draws the ensemble to Athens is historical connection between them and OU.
“They’ve been around for a long time, and doing music for a long time, just like the army,” Stephens said. “We’ve been there in the past, and hopefully we can continue to come there in the future as well.”
