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Calendar
A full schedule of public performances by ensembles of "The President's Own"

 

2024 Season:

View/Print Season Brochure here.

Select a date below for more information.

Events are free and open to the public. Tickets not required, unless otherwise noted.
Programs subject to change.

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Special Note: Tickets Required. Get Free Tickets Here.

Program

Livestream: Watch Here

Description: Lt. Col. Ryan J. Nowlin makes his public debut as 29th Director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, kicking off the season with a tribute to John Philip Sousa. Sousa was only 25 years old when asked by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve as the band’s 17th Director. In 12 years, Sousa simultaneously transitioned "The President's Own" from a local military band into a world-renowned musical organization and transformed himself into a national celebrity known as "The March King." Sousa’s musical interests were often reflected in his programmatic style, as is represented in this performance. At the helm, he brought orchestral music to the masses through wind band transcriptions, highlighted the virtuosic skill of soloists, and unabashedly inserted his own compositions into the mix, a programming structure that is still emulated by the Marine Band today.

Location: John Philip Sousa Band Hall, 1053 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Parking and Directions

Program

Livestream: Watch Here

Coordinated by the musicians of “The President’s Own,” the Chamber Music Series features a variety of ensembles performing challenging and unique works in the intimate setting of John Philip Sousa Band Hall. From string quartets and brass ensembles to percussion and woodwind ensembles, the diverse musical groups always offer familiar and eclectic chamber music, all Chamber Music Series concerts will also livestream on the Marine Band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel!

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

Two distinct halves present contrasting moods and styles of music surrounding nature. A percussion trio starts the journey, creating a minimalist, dreamy soundscape on Tōru Takemitsu’s Rain Tree. Augusta Read Thomas sets the poetry of E.E. Cummings with swirls of instrumental color and texture in Absolute Ocean. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 closes the program, transporting listeners to the countryside in a beautiful work that the composer described as “more an expression of feeling than painting.”

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

The Young People’s Concert, titled “Meet the Band,” will allow children a front row seat to meet the instruments of the concert band, their families, and how their sounds move from silly to sonorous in a fun and engaging introduction to the concert band. Following the program, children are invited to a “petting zoo” to try the instruments for themselves!

Location: John Philip Sousa Band Hall, 1053 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Parking and Directions

Program

Livestream: Watch Here

High school students from around the nation were selected for the final round of the Marine Band Concerto Competition, presented as a recital open to the public in John Philip Sousa Band Hall. The winner receives a $2,500 scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and a solo opportunity with the Marine Chamber Orchestra in concert April 28.

Location: John Philip Sousa Band Hall, 1053 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Parking and Directions

Program

Coordinated by the musicians of “The President’s Own,” the Chamber Music Series features a variety of ensembles performing challenging and unique works in the intimate setting of John Philip Sousa Band Hall. From string quartets and brass ensembles to percussion and woodwind ensembles, the diverse musical groups always offer familiar and eclectic chamber music, all Chamber Music Series concerts will also livestream on the Marine Band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel!

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

Music not only uplifts listeners, but can elevate the people, instruments and ideas that comprise it. The work of acclaimed bandleader, composer, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis opens the program with Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! paying homage to Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and the jazz funeral swing band tradition of New Orleans. Dana Wilson’s Concerto for Contrabass and Wind Ensemble opens up a platform for the lowest string instrument to shine and Kevin Day’s Concerto for Wind Ensemble fuses together the wind band world with the music he grew up with: hip-hop, R&B, jazz and gospel. The Marine Band also welcomes the work of its 2023 Call for Scores winner Michael Goodman, and will premiere the composer’s new piece “Double Quintet,” in an effort to expand the contemporary repertoire for winds and percussion.

Location: John Philip Sousa Band Hall, 1053 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Program

Parking and Directions

Coordinated by the musicians of “The President’s Own,” the Chamber Music Series features a variety of ensembles performing challenging and unique works in the intimate setting of John Philip Sousa Band Hall. From string quartets and brass ensembles to percussion and woodwind ensembles, the diverse musical groups always offer familiar and eclectic chamber music, all Chamber Music Series concerts will also livestream on the Marine Band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel!

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

On Thursday, March 7, “The President’s Own” will join forces with the U.S. Navy Band to present a special combined concert featuring band classics, contemporary works, and patriotic music. Highlights include Percy Grainger’s “Molly on the Shore,” Gordon Jacob’s William Byrd Suite, and featured soloists of Boston Brass on Gordon Goodwin's Perplexing Times. Please note: the Navy Band will perform during the first half of the concert, followed by the Marine Band on the second half. The concert is free, no tickets required. This performance is part of the American Bandmasters Association’s 89th annual convention.

Location: DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St NW, Washington, DC 20006

Special Note: Tickets Required. Get Free Tickets Here.

Program

As part of the American Bandmasters Association’s 89th annual convention, the Marine Band will perform a free concert featuring a historic joint armed forces band concert! The Joint Armed Forces Band, featuring musicians from America's premier military bands, performs a concert of classic wind band works conducted by members of the American Bandmasters Association. The concert will take place March 8 at 8 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Comprising members of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, the United States Army Band "Pershing's Own," the United States Navy Band, the United States Air Force Band, the United States Coast Guard Band, the United States Army Field Band, and special guests from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Band, the ensemble will perform works by John Philip Sousa, Percy Grainger and Gustav Holst. The program also includes world premieres of works by James Stephenson and Kevin Day. The Joint Armed Forces Band last performed a concert in 1992, also at Constitution Hall, under the baton of Marine Band leader Col. John Bourgeois, as part of the 1992 American Bandmasters Association Convention.

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

Heinrich Biber’s Battalia opens the concert in the Baroque era with eight short movements incorporating non-traditional techniques like striking the bow on the instrument, woven paper through strings, and polytonality. Gran Duo for Violin and Bass by Romantic composer Giovanni Bottesini and Thelonious Monk’s jazzy trio Blue Monk highlight the versatility of the double bass. Béla Bartók’s Divertimento then rounds out the performance with three movements that poured from the composer’s pen, and heart, in just 15 days.

Location: John Philip Sousa Band Hall, 1053 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Program

Parking and Directions

Coordinated by the musicians of “The President’s Own,” the Chamber Music Series features a variety of ensembles performing challenging and unique works in the intimate setting of John Philip Sousa Band Hall. From string quartets and brass ensembles to percussion and woodwind ensembles, the diverse musical groups always offer familiar and eclectic chamber music, all Chamber Music Series concerts will also livestream on the Marine Band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel!

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

Program

John Mackey’s Wine-Dark Sea carries a bulk of the narrative in this concert of poetry and stories. The 30-minute work draws its inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey, distilling the epic poem into a handful of musical highlights. Vocal features include Sousa’s “Annabel Lee,” set to the chilling verses written by Edgar Allen Poe, and a whimsical tale of “The Green-eyed Dragon” by Wolseley Charles. Debussy’s Syrinx flute solo derives its name from a nymph in Greek mythology and the instrument known as “panpipes.” The Marine Band’s new Assistant Director 1st Lt. Jose Toranzo-Infante will also make his debut, conducting Alfred Reed’s El Camino Real, also known as The Royal Road: A Latin Fantasy.

Location: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, MD 20852

Special Note: Tickets Required - Details to be announced

For its annual gala concert, and the 150th anniversary of Gustav Holst’s birth, the Marine Band pulls out all the stops for a performance of his monolithic masterpiece The Planets. During the substantial, seven-movement work, listeners will be enamored with Holst’s ability to capture the spirit and grandeur of our planetary neighbors, including Mars, Bringer of War and Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity. The Marine Band is also honored to perform under the baton of H. Robert Reynolds, a true luminary with an indelible impact in the wind band world. Reynolds will lead the band in a cornerstone of wind band repertoire, Paul Hindemith’s Symphony in B-flat for Band, as well as his own masterful transcription of Morten Lauridsen’s work “O Magnum Mysterium.”

Location: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 4915 E Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311

French composers Louise Farrenc and Joseph Bologne are brought to the forefront on this program, with Farrenc’s 35-minute Symphony No. 3 in G minor and Bologne’s Symphony No. 2 in D. Bologne was a contemporary of Mozart, whose Overture to La clemenza di Tito opens the concert. You may find similarities between the two, unlike Farrenc’s symphony and the German composers of her era. The female composer opted for lighter instrumentation than was custom with her male counterparts. The winner of the 2024 United States Marine Band Concerto Competition for High School Musicians will also join the orchestra on stage as a featured soloist. (Winner to be announced Feb. 17).

Location: Filene Center at WolfTrap National Park for the Performing Arts, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA

Additional details to be announced through the WolfTrap Website

The Marine Band will once again celebrate Memorial Day weekend with its annual Summer Blast Off! concert at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts with a mix of patriotic favorites, popular movie soundtracks, Sousa marches, and Broadway show tunes, as well as a guest appearance by iconic New Orleans jazz clarinetist Doreen Ketchens. As always, the program will conclude with a medley of the Armed Forces’ service songs honoring all those currently serving, veterans, and their families, followed by one of the best fireworks displays of the year. Don’t miss this annual family event and musical salute to our nation and its heroes!

 

Friday Evening Parades:

Fridays, May - August. (2024 details not yet available)

Please visit the Marine Barracks Washington website for parade reservations and more information.