Marine Barracks Annex, DC -- On Dec. 20, 2023, Colonel Jason K. Fettig passed the John Philip Sousa Baton and command of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band to Associate Director Lt. Col. Ryan J. Nowlin. Following his retirement, he will embark on a new adventure as the Director of University Bands and Professor of Conducting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he will lead the bands and provide instruction in conducting.
Fettig grew up in Manchester, the most populous city in the state of New Hampshire. His parents were always enthusiastic about him being involved in music, especially his mother who was a church musician.
“She had this idea that music should always be a part of our lives, so she got me started on clarinet in the second grade,” Fettig said.
Upon his graduation from Manchester Central High School in 1993, Fettig enrolled as a clarinet performance and music education major at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. But it actually took him a little while to decide that he wanted to be a music major.
“For a long time I was either going to be a helicopter pilot or I was going to go into the sciences or engineering, but then in my senior year of high school I had kind of a musical epiphany with my band experience. My band director David Bresnehan was such a passionate, wonderful teacher, and I watched what he did for us as students and watched how much he inspired us and helped us be better citizens through music. I thought I would like to do that, so I decided my senior year that I was going to go into college for music education. My plan was to be a band director and conduct high school band. I ended up double majoring in performance because my clarinet teacher felt like I had enough skill to at least pursue that as a possible career. I knew I wanted to be a musician, and I was passionate about making music whether it was teaching or performing.”
One morning as he was eating cereal at a friend’s kitchen table, he spilled some milk on some mail.
“I turned it over and it was the Marine Band ‘Notes’ newsletter. I was intrigued and began reading through this newsletter, and on the very back cover there was a clarinet opening. I was so curious about this, so I called the Marine Band’s Operations Office and asked them to send me the repertoire, which they did. I received it while I was out on the road and I practiced that music like crazy for two weeks just to see what it would be like to prepare. I had learned the music pretty well but I decided not to take the audition. I figured I would do it maybe sometime in the future. But my parents asked me what did I have to lose; they told me that I should fly down to Washington and take that audition—I should at least try. So I decided I would go ahead and try. I flew down to Washington and stayed with my uncle in Virginia and auditioned. I remember at the audition freaking out thinking that I did not belong there because everyone sounded so good. I had never heard that many great clarinetists in the same room. I also remember showing up so early that I was the very first person to audition. I remember putting my head down and thinking, alright you’re here, you can’t leave now, you’ve just got to go in and go through the process and see what happens. At the end of the day, I won! So it changed the course of my life. All of a sudden, I had an opportunity to play with one of the greatest bands in the entire world.”
Fettig reported to the Marine Band on Jan. 4, 1998, 26 years to the day of his official retirement ceremony. After becoming a member of the band, he had to learn right away what it meant to work at a very high standard all the time.
“Because everyone around me is so good at what they do and so dedicated, it pushes me to work even harder and to always be focused and intent on doing the very best that I can at every job whether I was playing in the concert band or marching Marine Corps ceremonies or learning Marine Corps protocol. I remember taking it very seriously—even though I had no military background, I could sense right away that it was really important. It was really important to learn the history of the Marine Corps, to understand what it meant to wear the uniform, to understand what it meant to uphold that standard on behalf of both my colleagues and the Marine Corps as a whole. I picked that up very quickly and it became a priority of mine which is something that would serve me very well as I continued on in my career because it became a fundamental part of who I am as a professional.”
Fettig soon became a frequently featured soloist with both the band and the Marine Chamber Orchestra. After serving four years in the organization, he was selected as an Assistant Director, and he conducted his first concert with the Marine Band on Aug. 1, 2001. He had conducted quite a bit in high school, having had conducting and leadership opportunities unusual for high school students, and in college he conducted as an undergraduate student, so he definitely had aspirations to conduct for a living.
“I had some natural ability and interest in it, but I never in a million years thought that opportunity would come through ‘The President’s Own,’” Fettig shared. “So when I accepted the position as a clarinetist with the band, I came with the idea that I would be a professional clarinetist. It was only after I got into the band that I realized that there are opportunities to conduct. So when that assistant director audition came up that was a revelation to me and I thought there’s no chance that I’m good enough as a conductor to do that here, but little did I know that my career path would change.”
“I accepted the John Philip Sousa ceremonial baton in 2014 with tremendous gratitude from the 27th Director of ‘The President’s Own’ Colonel Michael J. Colburn. That was a very special day for me. There are few organizations in the world that enjoy the history and legacy of the United States Marine Band and no other that possesses the unique mission to provide music for both the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, yet our official mission is only one facet of what defines this organization. The Marine Band is equally dedicated to proudly serving those who serve and it has always been a priority of ‘The President’s Own’ to bring the music of our country to as many of its citizens as possible. From the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to the famed parade deck of Marine Barracks Washington; From the historic halls of the White House to communities large and small all across America, the Marine Band has become a part of the fabric of our nation and has been so for nearly as long as our nation has existed.
“Although deeply rooted in its history and traditions, the Marine Band has long melded those traditions with innovation and an eye toward the future. The band has built an ever-increasing presence in music education on a national scale. It has often taken a leading role in the development and performance of new music and the band continues to enjoy frequent collaborations with world-class conductors and artists from around the globe. These important initiatives were a priority for me, and I was thrilled to continue in diversifying and expanding the presence of the Marine Band in the artistic and educational communities at home and abroad.”
Among his notable accomplishments as Director, Fettig led the band through international trips to Japan and Europe, and also led the band through recording “The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa,” the first comprehensive collection of Sousa’s marches produced by the band since the 1970s. He has continued to bring renowned guest conductors to the podium of “The President’s Own,” including JoAnn Falletta, Bramwell Tovey, and John Williams. As expected, many of Fettig’s career highlights took place fulfilling the band’s mission at the White House. During his nine year career as Director, Fettig served under Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joseph Biden. He was promoted to his present rank in August 2017 in the Roosevelt Room by President Donald Trump. He is the third Director of “The President’s Own” to be promoted to colonel in a White House ceremony.
Some of his most memorable moments have been at State Dinners where the President and First Lady have hosted world leaders to strengthen relationships with allies. State Dinners provide the perfect opportunity to showcase the artistic culture, hospitality and diplomacy that we celebrate in this country.
“Music plays such an important part in that process,” Fettig said. “As we play the music from the visiting leaders’ country you see how it welcomes them to our country. For the President of South Korea’s State Dinner, we had South Korean music as part of our repertoire and warmly welcomed the two cultures hand-in-hand as we mixed it with our American music. Then after dinner the President of South Korea spontaneously came up on stage and sang one of his favorite songs, which happens to be ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean, an American song but he loves it! He sang that and I was on stage with him, elated to be part of this wonderful moment happening between two presidents.”
While Fettig and the band interact with the presidents at the White House, some of his most thrilling moments have been in more public settings and through relationships.
“Nothing can compare to the relationships that I have been so privileged to form because I’m a member of this organization. Probably at the top of that list is John Williams. Mr. Williams has come back to conduct the Marine Band on multiple occasions during my time with the band and to have the maestro become such a great friend of ‘The President’s Own’ has been one of the great privileges of my life. Specifically our 225th anniversary concert in Washington, D.C.—John invited me to conduct half of that concert, so I had the opportunity to conduct my brilliant colleagues on half a concert of his music with him standing backstage supporting the band and listening before he came out to conduct the second half. So to say that I shared a program at the Kennedy Center with the great John Williams is a memory that I will never ever forget and I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Despite making incredible memories with numerous presidents, performing at the White House is not what he will miss most:
“What will I miss most? The people here. I know it can become cliché. But the longer I’ve served here, the more I have realized that what makes the Marine Band great has always been the people—the people on the stage, the people behind the scenes, and those that celebrate and promote everything we do. I have never been around a more talented dedicated group of people in my life. And in addition to that, these are the nicest, most generous people you will ever meet in your life. Now I believe that you can be great at what you do and also have a servant’s heart and give everything that you have to your community and to the people you love and the people you work with. That lesson has been taught to me because of my colleagues and the people I’ve worked here with for 26 years, and I am so grateful to have had that experience with these amazing humans.”
The Marine Band Change of Command Ceremony took place at The Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference in Chicago on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The ceremony can be viewed at youtube.com/usmarineband.