THE PRESIDENT'S OWN - US Marine Band Announces Fall Concert Tour

"The President's Own" United States Marine Band will depart Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, for its annual fall concert tour, performing 29 concerts in 31 days throughout the Northeast. The band will perform its first concert at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 1, at the Lampeter-Strasburg High School Auditorium in Lampeter, Pa., and will conclude its tour at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, at Queen Anne's County High School in Centreville, Md.

Additional tour stops include: Lewisburg, Pa.; Scranton, Pa.; Hollidaysburg, Pa.; Meadville, Pa.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Potsdam, N.Y.; St. Albans, Vt.; Concord, N.H.; Westminster, Vt.; Andover, Mass.; Brunswick, Maine; Orono, Maine; Sanford, Maine; Worcester, Mass.; Boston; Providence, R.I.; New London, Conn.; Manchester, Conn.; Brookville, N.Y., Ridgefield, Conn.; Woodbridge, N.J., Trenton, N.J.; Philadelphia; Sewell, N.J.; and Wilmington, Del. Concerts are free, but tickets are required. The complete itinerary and ticket information is available at www.marineband.usmc.mil/national_tour.

Col. Michael J. Colburn, Director of the Marine Band, has compiled several concert programs to entertain the diverse audiences throughout the Northeast. Tour concerts will include music by John Philip Sousa, Percy Grainger, John Williams, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Each tour concert ends with a Salute to the Armed Forces of the United States featuring all of the military service songs.

Concerts will highlight a variety of soloists including flutist Master Gunnery Sgt. Betsy Hill performing Cecile Chaminade's Concertino for Flute, euphonium player Gunnery Sgt. Mark Jenkins playing Herman Bellstedt's "Napoli," and clarinetists Master Gunnery Sgts. Lisa Kadala and Jeffrey Strouf performing Felix Mendelssohn's duet titled Concertpiece No. 2 in D minor, Opus 114, transcribed by former Marine Band arranger Thomas Fox. Also, concert moderator and baritone vocalist Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Bennear will offer a tribute to Mario Lanza and a vocal medley of Bing Crosby selections arranged by Marine Band staff arranger Staff SgT. Ryan Nowlin. The medley includes the popular songs "Swinging on a Star," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," and "Blue Skies."

Upcoming tour regions include the Midwest in 2013 and the West in 2014. For the states specific to each region, please visit www.marineband.usmc.mil/national_tour.

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