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Young People's Concert: Let's Sing, Sing a Song - Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. - Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. - For nearly 50 years, Bob McGrath educated, entertained, and inspired generations of children from America’s most inviting neighborhood: Sesame Street. Mr. McGrath joins the Marine Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Capt. Ryan J. Nowlin, for a special concert of classic songs and sing-a-longs from his extraordinary musical and educational career as an original Sesame Street cast member. This 50-minute concert is best suited for kids ages 3-8, but all are welcome. After the performance, children are invited to try instruments in the musical petting zoo and meet Bob after the show for photos and autographs. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will take place in Northern Virginia Community College's Schlesinger Concert Hall in Alexandria, Va.

The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa Vol. 4 - The President’s Own” United States Marine Band is pleased to announce the release of its fourth volume of “The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa.” This multi-year recording project, initiated by Director Col. Jason K. Fettig, is the Marine Band’s first comprehensive collection of Sousa’s marches since the 1970s. The collection is in chronological order, and Volume 4 contains 20 marches, covering the years 1899 to 1916, a period that produced such popular marches as “Hands Across the Sea,” “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty,” and “The Fairest of the Fair.” Volumes 1–4 are currently available for free download exclusively on the Marine Band website, along with full PDF scores and parts, scrolling videos, and historical notes about each piece.

Sunday, April 8 at 2 p.m. - Marine Band Concert: The Dream Hour - Sunday, April 8 at 2 p.m. - This Living History concert celebrates one of the longest running programs in radio history, NBC’s “The Dream Hour,” which began in 1922 and continued through the 1940s. The original program featuring the Marine Band was created for shut-ins, and musical selections were largely determined by patrons sending in requests. In celebration of its 220th anniversary, the Marine Band once again presents one of its popular live re-enactments of these famous broadcasts from the Golden Age of radio. The program features Robert Aubry Davis of WETA radio as guest moderator for this mix of music and memories from yesteryear. Free parking in lots 1B and Z. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Dekelboum Concert Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. - Marine Band Concert: For "The President's Own" - Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. - Throughout the 220-year history of the organization, the United States Marine Band has commissioned and premièred new compositions, transcriptions, and arrangements from the pens of such legendary composers as Gustav Holst and John Williams. Many of these time-honored works have made their way into the standard repertoire of concert bands the world over. Featuring a special guest-conducting appearance by the band’s 25th Director, Col. John R. Bourgeois, USMC (ret.), join the Marine Band for a concert of music written especially for “The President’s Own.” The program will also feature a special guest soloist: the winner of the Marine Band 2018 Concerto Competition. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Schlesinger Concert Hall at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria.

When it comes to the historical knowledge and performance of marches, the United States Marine Band is your prime resource, especially for marches written by John Philip Sousa. From February 26-March 28, “The President’s Own” will host “Sousa’s March Mania,” a tournament pitting 32 marches against each other for the Marine Band online community to determine which one is the favorite. Every day through March 28, marches will compete head to head while our friends and fans vote which marches advance in the tournament. You can visit the Marine Band website to listen to the competing marches, download a tournament bracket, and vote for your favorites. The champion march will be announced on March 29. At the end of the competition, anyone with the winning march on their bracket, completed prior to the first match, will be dubbed an honorary "March King" for a day! - When it comes to the historical knowledge and performance of marches, the United States Marine Band is your prime resource, especially for marches written by John Philip Sousa. From February 26-March 28, “The President’s Own” will host “Sousa’s March Mania,” a tournament pitting 32 marches against each other for the Marine Band online community to determine which one is the favorite. Every day through March 28, marches will compete head to head while our friends and fans vote which marches advance in the tournament. You can visit the Marine Band website to listen to the competing marches, download a tournament bracket, and vote for your favorites. The champion march will be announced on March 29. At the end of the competition, anyone with the winning march on their bracket, completed prior to the first match, will be dubbed an honorary "March King" for a day!

Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. - Chamber Music Series - Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. - Coordinated by French horn player Gunnery Sgt. Hilary Harding, this concert will feature several different ensembles formed by members of “The President’s Own,” including a string quintet, a woodwind quintet, and an Irish ensemble. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in John Philip Sousa Band Hall at the Marine Barracks Annex. It will also stream live on the Marine Band website.

Sunday, March 11 at 2 p.m. - Marine Band Concert: Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band Tribute - Sunday, March 11 at 2 p.m. - This Living History program will tell the story of those talented and adventurous women who served our country in a most unique and unprecedented manner. Author of the book Bands of Sisters: U.S. Women’s Military Bands During World War II, Dr. Jill Sullivan will serve as a guide through the personal accounts of those very women who blazed a trail for many to follow. The Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Band of Camp Lejeune was established under the watch of “The President’s Own” to support bond drives and was active during World War II from 1943–45. In 1944, the ensemble even sat in for one of the Marine Band’s popular “Dream Hour” broadcasts, a program that will be reenacted in its entirety as part of this concert. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Schlesinger Concert Hall at Northern Virginia Community College. It will also stream live on the Marine Band website.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Marine Band hosted its annual recital for the 2017-18 Concerto Competition for High School Musicians at the John Philip Sousa Band Hall in Washington, D.C. The panel of judges consisted of Marine Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig, Assistant Directors Maj. Michelle A. Rakers and Capt. Ryan J. Nowlin, and guest adjudicator professor Dennis Zeisler from Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Va. The semi-finalists include tuba player Robert Black, flutist Tessa Vermeulen, saxophone player Jordan Savage, flutist Jennifer Wang, and bassoonist Daniel McCarty. - On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Marine Band hosted its annual recital for the 2017-18 Concerto Competition for High School Musicians at the John Philip Sousa Band Hall in Washington, D.C. Lt. Gen. Robert R. Blackman Jr., USMC (Ret). presented a $2,500 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation to the winner, tuba player Robert Black. He will return to Washington, D.C., on March 25 to perform his solo with the Marine Band. Runner up was Jennifer Wang, who received a $500 scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.

Marine Chamber Orchestra concert Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Warner Auditorium at the Marine Corps University on Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va. - Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m. - Violinist William H. Santelmann was Director of the Marine Band, serving from 1898-1927. Under his leadership a symphony orchestra was formed within “The President’s Own” and was composed of band musicians who doubled on string instruments. During this program, the Marine Chamber Orchestra will take the audience back to 1918, a time when the world was at war. The program will include Staff Sgt. Charlaine Prescott’s performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 and former Marine Band Director Taylor Branson’s march, “The Marines of Belleau Wood,” in honor of the centennial of the battle that established the Marine Corps as an indispensable fighting force. Free parking in the garage located at 2050 Broadway St.; there is no drop off or pick up at the entrance. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Warner Auditorium at the Marine Corps University on Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va.

Marine Band concert Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in in Dekelboum Concert Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park. - Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. - This program features two very different but equally epic symphonies, including Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. The 35-minute first movement is a miniature symphony in and of itself and will be performed in transcription on this concert along with the transformative Finale of the entire work. The first half of the program features composer Johan de Meij’s dramatic and colorful Symphony No. 1 inspired by The Lord of the Rings books by J. R. R. Tolkien. The year 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of this substantial original symphony for band, and the Marine Band was among the first to perform it three decades ago. The composer will be on hand to lead this commemorative performance of his Symphony No. 1. Free parking in Lots 1B and Z. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place in Dekelboum Concert Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park.