April 17, 2014 -- At 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 17, the Marine Band will open a musical time capsule with a concert highlighting the year 1944. Conducted by Maj. Jason K. Fettig, the performance will take place at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts in Bowie, Md. The concert is free and no tickets are required; free parking is available.
The year 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day and a significant turning point during World War II. While men in uniform bravely battled unrelenting forces abroad, America resolutely marched on at home and prepared for their eventual return. It was a difficult time for the country, yet it was also an era that played a major role in defining America’s national culture and an artistic identity that is celebrated to this day. Many Americans turned to music and art as a diversion from the omnipresent hardships of the war, and this concert will feature several selections that made their premiere during that year, including Paul Hindemith’s March from Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town, and Aaron Copland’s popular Appalachian Spring.
The unique American art form of jazz had come into its own during this period, and jazz trumpeter Harry James had hit his stride in the year 1944. Trumpet soloist Master Sgt. Christian Ferrari will perform a musical homage to James with Ken McCoy’s arrangement “Wild About Harry,” featuring a few of James’ most famous tunes: “You Made Me Love You,” “Ciribiribin,” and “Young Man with a Horn.”
A highlight of the evening program is staff arranger Staff Sgt. Ryan Nowlin’s arrangement Sentimental Journey: A World War II Hit Parade, featuring Marine Band vocalists baritone Master Sgt. Kevin Bennear and mezzo-soprano Gunnery Sgt. Sara Dell’Omo. The piece is a medley of several popular tunes of the era including “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Stormy Weather,” and “Sentimental Journey.” The concert will also include two works by John Philip Sousa: The Last Days of Pompeii and his popular march “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Come enjoy a whirlwind journey through a single iconic year in history as the Marine Band opens a musical time capsule from 1944.