Submitted by COL Bruce R. Pulver, Commander
The United States Army Band (TUSAB) “Pershing’s Own” continued to have a productive season from the latter half of April through July 2024.
In April, The Army Blues traveled to Puerto Rico in support of USAREC, performing at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. The Band conducted clinics, as well as side-by-side mentorship with about 75 student musicians, and executed a Q&A session about careers in Army Music. They also performed an outreach mission, with approximately 4,000 members of the community in attendance. Upon returning to the National Capital Region, The Blues supported the State Department in a Cultural & Diplomacy concert at the Organization of American States.
Then, later in April, the Band presented a joint performance with the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral featuring the sacred music of Duke Ellington. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor was in attendance, sitting on the front row.
May kicked off with our Latin Music Ensemble performing for “Cinco de Cincy” in Cincinnati. Later that week, Pershing’s Own provided more somber music for the “Days of Remembrance” observance at the U.S. Capitol.
Also, in May, we presented a partner concert with the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative. Musicians from Pershing’s Own offered mentorship and instruction for up-and-coming young musicians, culminating in a side-by-side performance of chamber works.
Another exceptional educational outreach program is our annual Young Artist Competition. From hundreds of applications, 10 aspiring high school musicians competed to perform as one of two featured soloists. The concert concluded with all the finalists performing side-by-side with Pershing’s Own.
TUSAB supported multiple White House events over the past several months. After the Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Observance, actress Lucy Lui asked to have her picture taken with the musicians!
The Strings and Chorus performed for the White House State Dinner honoring Teacher of the Year recipients from each state. I had the pleasure of meeting Louise Smith, one of the honorees who was a Band Director and, coincidentally, attended my Alma Mater.
The Band also provided music for the White House Spring Garden Tours, as well as the State Arrival ceremony for the President of Kenya’s visit to the U.S.
Pershing’s Own was extremely busy over the Memorial Day weekend. The Concert Band & Chorus performed for thousands at Flagpole Hill in Dallas, TX, with country star (and Soldier) Craig Morgan appearing as a guest artist.
We also had buglers playing Taps for Memorial events in Belgium, France, and the UK. Closer to home, our rock band “Downrange” once again performed at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) “Good Grief” camp with special guest, GEN (Ret) Martin Dempsey.
We were also a part of the PBS National Memorial Day concert at the U.S. Capitol …
… and, of course, the National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery.
Coming right off the heels of a jam-packed month of May, we kicked off June with a concert featuring the music of Janelle Monae at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in conjunction with their Afrofuturism exhibit.
June also brought with it Army Birthday events and, before we knew it, July was upon us and time for Independence Day concerts in Philadelphia and Lancaster, PA.
We collaborated with PBS once again on “A Capitol Fourth” with host, Alfonso Ribeiro.
Pershing’s Own was part of multiple joint-Service ensembles supporting the historic NATO Summit, commemorating NATO’s 75th Anniversary. We even made POTUS’ Instagram while performing for the NATO State Dinner.
The end of July brought with it another whirlwind trip to Texas. This time to San Antonio to perform for the Texas Bandmasters Association. During this concert, composer, Frank Ticheli, led the Band on one of his works. SSG Salvador Flores was our featured soloist.
We often partner with The Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps (TOGFDC) for events, and last week we had another opportunity to do so. Both TUSAB and TOGFDC endured the August heat at last Friday’s Relinquishment of Responsibility ceremony for GEN Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
It’s worth noting that these are just some of the highlights from the past four months. The Band not only performed for many more events (far too numerous to include here) throughout the Spring and Summer, but also maintained a daily presence at Arlington National Cemetery, performing our most sacred mission of honoring our fallen comrades.