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President's Own Marine Band comes to KalamazooOct. 1, 2008 KALAMAZOO--As part of its 2008 national concert tour, "The President's Own" United States Marine Band will perform in Kalamazoo at Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is presented by Miller and the WMU School of Music and is free and open to the public.
Patrons may reserve tickets (limit four per request) in person at the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Marine Band Tickets, James W. Miller Auditorium, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI 49008-5344. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m.; non-ticket holders will be admitted at that time. In the style of the band's 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891, Marine Band Director Colonel Michael J. Colburn has chosen a diverse mix of programsæfrom traditional band repertoire and marches to instrumental solos. "This cross section of instrumentalists will feature some of the most experienced members of the organization as well as newer members of the band," Col. Colburn said. Programs are rotated throughout the tour to accommodate different concert venues. As the programs rotate, so will the soloists. By late October, the Marine Band will have performed a total of 29 concerts in 31 days on its tour. This year's route takes the band through Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Marine Band is America's oldest professional musical organization. Founded in 1798, the band has performed for every U.S. President since John Adams. Given the title "The President's Own" by Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band's primary mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Media contact: Bethany Gauthier (269) 387-2245, bethany.gauthier@wmich.edu WMU News |
