"The President's Own" United States Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra are excited to return in 2023 with a packed concert season celebrating the band's 225th Anniversary! All concerts are free and no tickets are required unless otherwise noted.
sousa season opener
In-Person Concert & Livestream!
Marine Band
Sunday, Jan. 8 | 2 PM
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
Center for the Arts Concert Hall, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
John Philip Sousa was only 25 years old when he was called back by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve as the United States Marine Band’s 17th Director in 1880. During the next 12 years, Sousa simultaneously transitioned “The President’s Own” from a local military band into a world-renowned musical organization and transformed himself into a national celebrity and “The March King.” Sousa’s musical interests were often reflected in his programmatic style, as is represented in this performance. At the helm, he brought orchestral music to the masses through wind band transcriptions, highlighted the virtuosic skill of soloists, and unabashedly inserted his own compositions into the mix, a programming style that is still used by today’s Marine Band and celebrated during the Sousa Season Opener.
- SOUSA | March, “Nobles of the Mystic Shrine”
- DVOŘÁK / trans. Patterson | Carnival Overture, Opus 92 - transcription world première
- SIMON / arr. Larios | “Willow Echoes” - SSgt Chris Larios, cornet soloist
- TCHAIKOVSKY / trans. Godfrey | Polonaise from Suite No. 3 in G, Opus 55
- VAUGHAN WILLIAMS | English Folk Song Suite
- TESORI & SCANLAN / arr. Ninmer | Music from Thoroughly Modern Millie - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano
- ROSSINI | Overture to William Tell
marine chamber orchestra
Sunday, Jan. 15 | 2 PM (ET)
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
Philip Glass reimagines Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in his second Violin Concerto. Unlike the predictable pattern of seasons in the calendar year, listeners aren’t given clues as to which order the movements and their corresponding seasons will appear in the concert. Each time it is played, the 24 possible combinations offer a surprise. In contrast, Bach’s Goldberg Variations assume an orderly path, developing the initial Aria into 30 variations. Historians believe the piece parallels seasons of life, moving up the sequence of canons to increasing understanding of one’s capabilities through bearing the unknowns of death, and eventually evoking the joy of a reunion with loved ones.
- GLASS | Violin Concerto No. 2, American Four Seasons - MSgt Erika Sato, soloist
- BACH / trans. Sitkovetsky | Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
wind & fire
Marine Band
Sunday, Jan. 22 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Things heat up in the band’s second performance of the season: Sparks start flying with Handel’s Overture to Music from the Royal Fireworks, a new and evocative concerto for alto saxophone and tuba titled Alpenglow sends the temperature rising, and a Poème du Feu or “Poem of Fire” sets the first half of this performance ablaze. “Wind” themed pieces in the second half fan the flame, including a Sousa march inspired by the airplane, an aria sung to the “wind and waves” from Handel’s opera Scipione and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Colgrass’ pillar in band literature, Winds of Nagual.
- HANDEL / ed. Baines & Mackerras | Overture to Music from the Royal Fireworks
- GARROP | Alpenglow - MGySgt Nomar Longoria, alto saxophone; MSgt Franklin Crawford, tuba
- GOTKOVSKY / trans. Duthoit | Poème du Feu
- SOUSA | March, “The Aviators”
- HANDEL / trans. Barrow | “Hear Me, Ye Winds and Waves” from Scipione - MGySgt Kevin Bennear, baritone
- COLGRASS | Winds of Nagual
CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
In-Person Concert & Livestream!
Sunday, Jan. 29 | 2 PM
GySgt Patrick Morgan, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- HIGDON | Zaka
- ROUMAIN | Lecolian Loops
- VON WEBER | Clarinet Quintet in B-flat, Opus 34
American Traditions
Marine Band
Sunday, Feb. 5 | 2 PM
1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting
It’s an all-American lineup on this program. Heavy-hitters such as Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and Morton Gould’s “American Salute” kick off each half, followed by modern-day works from living American composers and patriotic marches by John Philip Sousa. Don’t miss Roshanne Etezady’s Points of Departure which has lyrics and sound effects depicting travel from several perspectives, and Katahj Copley’s brand new DOPE, a symphonic piece based on hip hop, a genre born and bred in the U.S.A.
- BERNSTEIN / arr. Grundman | Overture to Candide
- TYZIK | Concerto for Timpani - GySgt David Constantine, soloist
- SOUSA | March, “Semper Fidelis”
- GOULD / trans. Lang | “American Salute”
- ETEZADY | Points of Departure - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano
- COPLEY | DOPE - Consortium première
Concerto Competition for High School Musicians - finals
In-Person Concert & Livestream!
Saturday, Feb. 11 | 2 PM (ET)
Col. Jason K. Fettig, Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, 1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, adjudicators
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, in conjunction with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, presents the final round of its annual Concerto Competition for High School Musicians featuring seven musicians performing live for a public audience and a panel of judges. The winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and a solo opportunity with the United States Marine Band.
Chamber music series
In-Person Concert & Livestream!
Sunday, Feb. 12 | 2 PM
SSgt Jeffrey Grant, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- MOORE | Geaux
- MEYER | Luminosity
- BEETHOVEN | String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Opus 95
- DRING | Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Piano
- VIÑAO | Estudios de Frontera
OUR NEW DAY BEGUN: A TRIBUTE TO BLACK HISTORY
Marine Band
Sunday, Feb. 26 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
The Marine Band dedicates a full concert in honor of Black History Month by presenting a collection of works old and new by contemporary Black composers. Kevin Day’s exciting Euphonium Concerto brings out the impressive range and technical capabilities of the versatile instrument and soloist. Music by Valerie Coleman and Omar Thomas explore some of the collective struggles we face in modern times through a pandemic and racial unrest. Erik Santos’ stunning work, THE SEER sets the poetry of Langston Hughes and Rainer Maria Rilke to music, and will be performed by guest tenor soloist Dr. Scott Piper of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance.
- ADAMS | March, “The Governor’s Own”
- COLERIDGE-TAYLOR/trans. D. Patterson | Ballade, Opus 33
- COLEMAN | Fanfare for Uncommon Times
- DAY | Euphonium Concerto - GySgt Hiram Diaz, euphonium
- SANTOS | THE SEER - Dr. Scott Piper, guest tenor soloist
- THOMAS | Of Our New Day Begun
celebrating 50 years of women in the marine band
Saturday, March 4 | 2 PM
Capital Turnaround, Washington, DC
Sunday, March 5 | 2 PM
Medal of Honor Theater, National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA
MSgt Erika Sato, coordinator
Ruth Johnson successfully won a Marine Band French horn audition on March 7, 1973, and went on to become the first female to enlist in “The President’s Own.” Marine Band Director Lt. Col. Dale Harpham explained his decision to enlist Johnson: “At the time, there were no legal ramifications against admitting women. I wanted to see this happen because I wanted the Marine Band to be the best.” Weeks later the Marine Corps announced job opportunities for women in each of its bands, and in 1975 many more occupational fields throughout the Corps were opened to women. In honor of 50 years of women in the Marine Band, this concert focuses on the work of female composers and arrangers, and highlights some of the band’s many talented female musicians.
Program to be selected from:
- MEYER | Luminosity
- WAGNER / arr. Sieff | Ride of the Valkyries
- COLEMAN | Portraits of Langston
- SMYTH / arr. Mowry | Allegro from Quintet in E
- WALLEN | Concerto Grosso for Violin, Bass, Piano, and Strings
- SCHUMANN | “Liebst du um Schönheit, “ Opus 12
- WAYNE / arr. Prather | It Happened in Monterey
- ESMAIL | Darshan
- TOWER | Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
bratsche
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, March 12 | 2 PM
GySgt Karen Johnson, coordinator
You won’t find a director on the podium at this conductorless concert. Instead you’ll find the viola, or “Bratsche” as it is known in German, taking the lead. Viola-centric pieces by German composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Max Bruch anchor the performance, featuring the rich tones of lower string instruments in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and a viola solo in Bruch’s Romanze. Contemporary works by Jessica Meyer and Sir William Walton reflect the full capabilites of the whole string family.
- BACH | Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat, BWV 1051
- MEYER | Hello
- BRUCH / arr. Lee | Romanze, Opus 85 - GySgt Sarah Hart, viola soloist
- WALTON | Sonata for String Orchestra
***The U.S. Marine Band concert scheduled for 2 p.m., Sunday, March 26 at Northern Virginia Community College's Schlesinger Center has been CANCELED due to a water main break. The Planets will be rescheduled during the 2024 concert season.***
the planets
Marine Band
CANCELED - Sunday, March 26 | 2 PM
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
Buckle up for T-minus 10 to blast off! Trajectory is set for a journey through our own solar system, admiring the range of musical character Gustav Holst imagined for Earth’s celestial neighbors in his ever-popular masterpiece, The Planets. This musical interstellar expedition also makes stops light years away at the North Star by Anthony Barfield and the Andromeda Galaxy, a Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way in David Gillingham’s Galactic Empires. Selections from Steven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind kicks off the concert, marking just the first time this season the Marine Band’s orbit will cross with Maestro John Williams’ work. And as a bonus, images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be on display at the event.
- WILLIAMS / arr. Bulla | Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- BARFIELD | North Star - GySgt Amy McCabe, trumpet soloist and SSgt Russell Sharp, trombone soloist
- GILLINGHAM | Galactic Empires
- HOLST / arr. M. Patterson | The Planets, Opus 32
sacred hymns, songs, and sounds
Marine Band
Sunday, April 2 | 2 PM
1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting
David Maslanka described the central driving force of his Symphony No. 4 as “the spontaneous rise of the impulse to shout for the joy of life.” His piece quotes the traditional hymn Old Hundred, as well as brilliant chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach. The related themes of reverence and celebration echo throughout the entire concert, particularly evident in the sound of “Crown Imperial” Coronation March and in the setting of Psalm 84 in and the swallow.
- BACH / trans. Hunsberger | Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
- SOUSA | March, “President Garfield’s Inauguration”
- WALTON / trans. Duthoit | Coronation March, “Crown Imperial”
- SHAW/trans. Fisher | and the swallow
- MASLANKA | Symphony No. 4
marine chamber orchestra
Sunday, April 16 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Anchoring this performance are beloved works of two masters: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Turkish” Violin Concerto and Jean Sibelius’ dramatic and heroic Second Symphony. Featured alongside these masterpieces is the contemporary music of a young composer you likely do not yet know. Front and center in this performance is the world première of SiHyun Uhm’s Yearning, the winner of the Marine Band’s inaugural Call for Scores, held in 2022. Her piece was selected from more than 100 submissions for its compelling form, shimmering beauty, and remarkable use of the sound and expressive qualities of the string orchestra.
- UHM | Yearning - world première
- MOZART | Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K. 219, “Turkish”- SSgt Ryo Usami, soloist
- SIBELIUS | Symphony No. 2 in D, Opus 43
Flourishes and Meditations: Music of Pith and Passion
Marine Band
Sunday, April 23 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Released on the Marine Band’s latest recording album “Monuments,” concertgoers will have their first opportunity to hear Jim Stephenson’s entire Wooden Dimes: Ballet for Wind Ensemble, in person. Like the ballet it was originally written for, the piece is influenced by music of the 1920s. The concert also revisits Michael Gandolfi’s classical Spanish guitar-inspired Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme which was also commissioned by the Marine Band, and the namesake piece on another album released by “The President’s Own” in 2011. Additionally, the winner of the 2023 Concerto Competition for High School Musicians (to be announced Feb. 11) will give their debut performance live on stage with the Marine Band.
- SOUSA | March, “La Flor de Sevilla”
- ZHOU | Petals of Fire
- RIMSKY-KORSAKOV/ed. McAlister | Variations on a Romance by Glinka - Kyle Cho, guest oboe soloist, Winner of the 2023 Marine Band Concerto Competition
- GANDOLFI | Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme
- STEPHENSON | Wooden Dimes: Ballet for Wind Ensemble
- BIZET/trans. D. Patterson | "Habanera” from Carmen - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano
- SCHMITT | Dionysiaques, Opus 62
aspire: “the president’s own” at 225
This concert is SOLD OUT. Non-ticket holders will be admitted at 7:15 p.m. to fill remaining seats.
Marine Band & Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, April 30 | 7:30 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Featuring former Marine Band Directors Col. John R. Bourgeois, Col. Timothy W. Foley, & Col. Michael J. Colburn
Nicholas Phan, guest tenor soloist
The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD
For 225 years “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band has faithfully served its mission to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. As the oldest active professional music organization in the country, the band’s storied history has left an indelible mark on the world of music, generations of Americans, and valued patriotic traditions. This gala performance celebrates a milestone anniversary and ties together the Marine Band past, present and future, with musical selections that affirm the ensemble’s rich history and heritage, and also its trailblazing efforts in commissioning new works by modern-day composers. The band will also welcome back three of its former directors to the podium, Col. John R. Bourgeois (1979-1996), Col. Timothy W. Foley (1996-2004), and Col. Michael J. Colburn (2004-2014) to take part in this momentous event. In addition, Grammy Award-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan will make his debut performance with the Marine Band performing the world première of Joel Puckett’s There Was a Child Went Forth.
- SOUSA | Presidential Polonaise
- WALKER | Lyric for Strings
- PUCKETT | There Was a Child Went Forth - Nicholas Phan, guest tenor soloist, world première
- IVES / ed. Elkus | Symphony No. 2
- HOPKINSON | Washington’s March
- SCALA | President Lincoln’s Inaugural March (The Union March)
- SOUSA | March, “A Century of Progress”
- HIGDON | Aspire
- GERSHWIN / arr. Bulla | “Love is Here to Stay” from The Gershwin Songbook - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano & MGySgt Kevin Bennear, baritone
- COPLAND / arr. Knox | “The Dodger” - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano & MGySgt Kevin Bennear, baritone
- BERNSTEIN / ad. Grundman | “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide Suite
- WARREN / arr. Knox | “God of Our Fathers”
- LESHNOFF | Symphony for Winds - world première
- SOUSA | March, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
- OFFENBACH / arr. Hunsberger | The Marines’ Hymn
Chamber Music Series
In-Person Concert & Livestream!
Sunday, May 7 | 2 PM (ET)
GySgt Andrew Dees, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- FARRENC | Sextet for Piano and Winds in C minor, Opus 40
- GAIMS | Nonet for Bass Clarinets
- DVOŘÁK | String Quintet No. 2, Opus 77 in G Major
marine chamber orchestra
Sunday, May 21 | 2 PM
1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting
Center for the Performing Arts, Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD
Two distinct halves present contrasting moods and styles of music. A percussion trio creates a minimalist, dreamy soundscape on Tōru Takemitsu’s Rain Tree, and Absolute Ocean by Augusta Read Thomas will challenge listeners with angular vocals paired with harp. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 then follows, grounding the performance in a more traditional and bucolic charm spread over five substantial movements that the composer described as “more an expression of feeling than painting.”
- TAKEMITSU | Rain Tree - MSgt Steven Owen, SSgt Alexander Garde, and SSgt Michael Hopkins, percussion
- THOMAS | Absolute Ocean - MSgt Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano and MGySgt Karen Grimsey, harp
- BEETHOVEN | Symphony No. 6 in F, Opus 68, Pastorale
summer blast off!
Marine Band
Sunday, May 28 | 8 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Filene Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA
The Marine Band will once again celebrate Memorial Day weekend with its annual Summer Blast Off! concert at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts with a mix of patriotic favorites, popular movie soundtracks, Sousa marches, and Broadway show tunes. As always, the program will conclude with a medley of the Armed Forces’ service songs honoring all those currently serving, veterans, and their families, followed by one of the best fireworks displays of the year. Don’t miss this annual family event and musical salute to our nation and its heroes!
john williams and "the president's own"
Marine Band
Sunday, July 16 | 3 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting; John Williams, guest conducting
Location TBA
Free tickets required. Ticket information will be released in late spring.
The Marine Band’s 225th anniversary celebration continues with an extraordinary concert at the Kennedy Center, conducted in part by Maestro John Williams. The composer, who turns 91-years-old this year, is best known for his instantly-recognizable scores to the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter films, as well as Jaws, E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and many others. Williams first conducted the Marine Band in concert at the Kennedy Center in 2003, commemorating the band’s 205th birthday. That historic occasion marked the beginning of a long friendship between Williams and “The President’s Own” including additional guest appearances on the podium in 2008 and 2019, as well as the 2021 Marine Band album release of “John Williams and ‘The President’s Own.’” In this concert, the Marine Band pulls out all the stops, enthusiastic to perform an exciting lineup of Williams’ work, once again under the direction of the composer himself.