U.S. Marine Band to Perform in Kalamazoo on Midwest Tour

For the first time in five years, “The President's Own” United States Marine Band returns to the Midwest on tour, performing a free 7:30 p.m. concert on Monday, October 23 at Miller Auditorium. The Western Michigan University Irving S. Gilmore School of Music has helped bring the ensemble from the nation's capital to Kalamazoo, Michigan for this community event. 

“We are incredibly excited to continue the tradition of our national concert tour,” Marine Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig said. “Musicians of the band are more eager than ever to share their musical talents with audiences live, and in-person on this Midwest tour.” 

Fettig has programmed musical selections in the style of the band's 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891. Concertgoers can expect a mix of works including traditional band repertoire, Sousa marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and a patriotic salute to the Armed Forces. 

“We have tremendously appreciative patrons who come to Marine Band concerts for all types of different experiences, so our programs are designed to include a great variety of music that mirrors the wonderful diversity in our national musical heritage,” Fettig said. 

Since Sousa was first granted permission to tour the country by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891, “The President's Own” United States Marine Band has delivered a White House experience from Washington, D.C., to the far-reaching corners of our nation, and these special concerts have been shared by generations of Americans. 

By the end of this year's 31-day tour, the Marine Band will have covered more than 4,664 miles around the Midwest, performing in 29 different cities in 11 states, with concerts in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

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 mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. 

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