Summer Fare Features Patriotic Songs and Trumpet Duet

The Marine Band’s Summer Fare concerts this week will feature a mix of patriotic music, orchestral transcriptions, and a virtuosic trumpet duo. Assistant Director Maj. Michelle A. Rakers will conduct the evening performances at 8 p.m., Wednesday, July 23, on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol and Thursday, July 24, at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Both concerts are free and no tickets are required. 

The concert will begin with Clare Grundman’s Concord, commissioned by “The President’s Own” in 1987 for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference. The work draws from three traditional American folk tunes identified with the Revolutionary War period, including “The White Cockade,” “America,” and the ever familiar and popular “Yankee Doodle.”

Following Concord, the band will perform Marine Band music production chief Master Sgt. Donald Patterson’s transcription of Emmanuel Chabrier’s Fête Polonaise from Le Roi Malgré Lui and James Stephenson’s virtuosic trumpet duet, Duo Fantastique, featuring Staff Sgts. Brandon Eubank and Amy McCabe. Eubank and McCabe attended Northwestern University (NU) together in Evanston, Ill., and even studied with two of the same teachers.

“The interplay between the two trumpets is very exciting and creative,” McCabe said. “And it’s really special to be able to play with Brandon in this capacity.”

“It’s going to be phenomenal,” added Rakers, also a NU alumna. “It’s a showpiece which captures the technical demands of the instrument and their proficiency with remarkable flair … Go Wildcats!” 

The second half of the concert includes Sir Charles Mackerras’ Suite from the operetta Pineapple Poll, based on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, and John Philip Sousa’s march, “Daughters of Texas,” written after he received a request for a march from the 1,700 girls at the all-girls College of Industrial Arts in Denton, Texas. The Marine Band recorded the Pineapple Poll suite for its educational recording Symphonic Dances in 2007.

For another patriotic highlight, Master Sgt. Kevin Bennear will sing former Marine Band chief arranger Stephen Bulla’s medley Pride of a People. The stirring arrangement includes “This is My Country,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and “My Country ‘tis of Thee.” These three popular songs are not only inspiring but have become an important part of American culture.