WASHINGTON -- This week, “The President’s Own” will conclude its annual Summer Concert Series with a pair of performances under the direction of 25th Director Col. John R. Bourgeois, USMC (Ret.). Bourgeois was a member of the Marine Band for nearly 40 years and served as Director from 1979-1996. These free concerts will take place at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 28 on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol, and 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 29 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
The Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 concerts are extra special for Bourgeois - he will celebrate his 90th birthday on Aug. 31. Bourgeois joined the Marine Corps in 1956 and joined “The President’s Own” in 1958, beginning a 38-year career with the organization which spanned nine presidential administrations from presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. Asked about his feelings on returning to conduct the Marine Band to conclude the 2024 Summer Season, Bourgeois simply replied “I just feel lucky to still be here to take part in this concert.”
Complete Program and Notes
The concert program includes a collection of Marine Band favorites programmed by Bourgeois for the occasion. The program begins with John Philip Sousa’s march “The Rifle Regiment,” dedicated to the officers and men of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Bourgeois chose this piece because it reminded him of many of his favorite events as Marine Band Director. “Almost every time we played at the White House or marched in a parade, I programmed ‘The Rifle Regiment.’ It’s a unique march with a long introduction that leaves an impact on the listener.” Written in 1886, Sousa’s sixth year as director of “The President’s Own,” “The Rifle Regiment” follows a traditional march structure closer to the formulas employed by earlier march composers than those Sousa innovated later in his career.
Another highlight is Robert Jager’s “Esprit de Corps,” a unique take on the Marines’ Hymn originally commissioned by the Marine Band under Bourgeois’ direction. The band premiered it at the National Band Association convention in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1984. As a tribute to the Marine Band and its former director, Jager instructs the conductor to lead the ensemble through “Esprit de Corps” at the unique “Tempo di Bourgeois.” Bourgeois did not know Jager included the now-famous tempo marking in the piece until it was premiered: “it came as a complete surprise to me when I saw the score for the first time.”
Flutist Staff Sgt. Christina Hughes will solo on Bourgeois’ transcription of Georges Hüe’s Fantaisie, headlining a quartet of classic selections also including Richard Wagner’s “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Lohengrin, Léo Delibes’ Les Filles de Cadix and Jacques Offenbach’s Galop from Geneviève de Brabant. “Fantaisie is one of my favorite pieces; I’ve incorporated flute solos into it several times in the past and I look forward to Staff Sgt. Hughes’ performance,” said Bourgeois.
Offenbach’s Gendarmes’ Duet, introduced in the composer’s 1867 revision of Geneviève de Brabant, holds a special place in the hearts of Marine Band musicians. It is believed to be the musical source of the oldest U.S. service song, the Marines’ Hymn.
The program concludes with former Marine Band chief arranger Thomas Knox’s setting of George W. Warren’s “God of our Fathers,” performed under the direction of Bourgeois at the first inauguration of President Ronald Reagan on Jan. 20, 1981. “’God of our Fathers’ reminds me of one of the most memorable experiences of my Marine Band career. I was conducting at the Reagan Inauguration, the first to be held on the west side of the Capitol. As we played ‘God of our Fathers,’ the clouds opened, and the sun began to shine. I had a live news feed on a TV next to my feet, and I looked down and saw the news announcing that the Iran Hostage Crisis had ended. I’ll never forget it.”
Originally written in 1876 by Daniel Crane Roberts, an Episcopal priest and Civil War veteran from Vermont, the words to “God of our Fathers” were set to Warren’s music in the most famous version of the hymn.
Concert attendees should bring a chair or a blanket and spread out for a delightful evening of musical performance and take part in a beloved American tradition!
Schedule is subject to change. Inclement weather cancellations will be made by 6 p.m. the evening of the concert and posted on Marine Band social media and website. Free parking will be available at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.