"The President's Own" United States Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra are excited to return in 2022 with live performances! All concerts are free and no tickets are required unless otherwise noted. Please note that masks and COVID vaccination or negative COVID test within 72 hours are required for all in-person concerts. All programs are subject to change.
Songs of a Wayfarer
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, Jan. 23 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Ricardo Morales, guest soloist
The alternate states of joy and sorrow permeate this collection of music brought together to ignite the senses. Anchored by two works for soloist and orchestra, this program explores the many moods and colors of classical music, both new and old. The centerpiece of the concert is a brand-new Concerto for Clarinet written by American composer Jacob Bancks specifically for the Marine Band’s guest soloist and principal clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Ricardo Morales. Gustav Mahler’s song cycle “Songs of a Wayfarer” for singer and orchestra tells the story of a journeyman’s experience with love gained and then lost, presented through some of the composer’s most personal and heartfelt music. The program is completed by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra’s ebullient A Joyous Overture based on the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the masterful Variations on a Theme of Haydn by Johannes Brahms, who also happened to be one of Beethoven’s most ardent admirers. (Photo by Jessica Griffin)
- SIERRA | A Joyous Overture
- BANCKS | Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra - Ricardo Morales, guest soloist
- MAHLER / arr. Schoenberg | Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) - Master Sgt. Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano
- BRAHMS | Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Opus 56a
Chamber Music Series
Sunday, Jan. 30 | 2 PM (ET)
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Brady, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- BOURGEOIS | Trombone Quartet
- GAIMS* | Adagio for Clarinet and Strings - world première
- STROZZI / trans. Sansolo | “Gli Amanti Falliti;” “Silento Nocivo;” “Priego ad Amore”
- DVOŘÁK | String Quartet No. 12 in F, Opus 96, American
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
Something Old, Something New
Marine Band
Sunday, Feb. 6 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig and 1st Lt. Darren Lin, conducting
“The President’s Own” begins its season of band concerts at Northern Virginia Community College's Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center with a spectrum of music stretching back the length of the organization's 223 year history. This eclectic program of old favorites and brand new additions to the band repertoire celebrates the ensemble's unique artistic legacy. The program shifts between a 19th century showcase of one of our most cherished patriotic tunes and the inimitable music of “The March King,” new music from the current composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center, Carlos Simon, and the world première of a piece written especially for the Marine Band by David Froom. The conclusion of this celebratory concert will be the Marine Band’s own classic transcription of Igor Stravinsky’s immortal music to his ballet, The Firebird.
In keeping with the theme, direction of this special performance will be shared between current Director of the Marine Band, Col. Jason K. Fettig, and the brand new Assistant Director, 1st Lt. Darren Lin, who is making his concert debut on the podium of “The President’s Own.”
- REEVES / ed. Brion | Fantasie Humoresque on "Yankee Doodle"
- FROOM | Three Fantasy Dances: Concerto for Wind Ensemble - world première
- MACKEY | Antique Violences - Master Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Harding, trumpet soloist
- SOUSA* | March, "The Pride of the Wolverines"
- SIMON | Amen!
- STRAVINSKY / trans. Knox* | Suite from The Firebird
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
UNLIKELY pAIRINGS
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, Feb. 13 | 2 PM
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
Johannes Brahms’ well-loved Double Concerto, his final work for orchestra, is a true masterpiece requiring virtuosic playing and seamless collaboration from the unlikely pairing of violin and cello. Brought new life and character by accomplished soloists Gunnery Sgt. Sheng-Tsung Wang and Staff Sgt. Char Prescott, the work is seen in a new light when performed by the smaller, chamber orchestra. The concert is balanced with another unlikely pairing: the father of the symphony, Franz Joseph Haydn, and contemporary composer Anna Clyne, whose Sound and Fury not only draws inspiration from the themes of Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, but also from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
- BRAHMS | Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Opus 102 - Gunnery Sgt. Sheng-Tsung Wang, violin soloist and Staff Sgt. Charlaine Prescott, cello soloist
- HAYDN | Symphony No. 60 in C, Il distratto
- CLYNE | Sound and Fury
Concerto Competition for High School Musicians - finals
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Saturday, Feb. 19 | 2 PM (ET)
Col. Jason K. Fettig, Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, 1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, Joseph Young (Peabody Conservatory), 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 six 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 Marine Chamber Orchestra.
- PROKOFIEV | Allegro moderato from Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Opus 63 - Claire Lee, violin, Newton, MA
- SAINT-SÄENS | Allegro non troppo (plus 3rd mvt. Coda) from Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Opus 33 - Kwanchi Loo, cello, Cherry Hill, NJ
- GRIEG | Allegro molto moderato from Piano Concerto in A minor, Opus 16 - Aimee Okagawa, piano, Honolulu, HI
- KOUSSEVITZKY | Concerto in F-sharp minor for Contrabass and Orchestra, Opus 3; Mvts. I & II - Nicholas Boettcher, double bass, Naperville, IL
- DITTERSDORF | Harp Concerto in A - Olivia Tilley, harp, Springfield, VA
- MENDELSSOHN | Allegro molto appassionato from Violin Concerto in E minor, Opus 64 - Henry Auxenfans, violin, Chicago, IL
Songs from Around the World
Marine Band
Sunday, Feb. 20 | 2 PM
1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting
Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, 15200 Annapolis Rd, Bowie, MD
Music is the universal language; it can carry such emotional weight across a variety of cultures and nations, and by doing so it transmits power, messages, and feelings where words cannot. This concert features melodies from China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, and the United States. Highlights include Bright Sheng’s Shanghai Overture, Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F, and Marquez’s Danzón No. 2.
- SHENG / trans. Sheng and Chen | Shanghai Overture for Symphonic Band
- VILLA-LOBOS | Concerto Grosso for Woodwind Quartet and Wind Orchestra - Master Gunnery Sgt. Betsy Hill, flute; Gunnery Sgt. Trevor Mowry, oboe; Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Kiewitt, clarinet; Staff Sgt. Matthew Gregoire, bassoon
- HOLST / ed. Matthews | Suite in F for Military Band, Opus 28, No. 2
- SOUSA* | The Chantyman's March
- RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / trans. Hindsley | Capriccio espagnol, Opus 34
- SALIERI / trans. D. Patterson* | "E voi da buon marito...Non vo già' che vi suonino" from La Cifra - Master Sgt. Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano
- MÁRQUEZ / trans. Nickel | Danzón No. 2
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
Marine Band concert
American Bandmasters Association 87th Annual Convention
Friday, March 4 | 8 PM
Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler University, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis, IN
- TUTHILL | Overture Brilliante, Opus 19
- MACKEY | The Blooded Lines from Antique Violences
- SANTOS | Excerpts from THE SEER
- HINDEMITH | Symphony in B-flat for Band
- SOUSA* | March, “The New York Hippodrome”
- SMETANA | Overture to The Bartered Bride
- GIROUX | Rain Softly on Me
- STEPHENSON | Excerpts from Wooden Dimes: Ballet for Wind Ensemble
- GILBERTSON | Fallingwater from Usonian Dwellings
- ARR. KNOX* | A Salute to the Armed Forces of the United States of America
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
This concert is free but tickets are required.
Chamber Music Series
Sunday, March 6 | 2 PM
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Staff Sgt. Connor Mikula, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- LARSEN | Corker
- GILBERTSON | "Low-Hanging Fruit"
- MONTGOMERY | "Peace"
- HOPKINS* | 20/20 - world première
- HEALY | Threats | Threads
- MELLITS | Smoke
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
gala concert at strathmore
Marine Band
Tuesday, March 15 | 7:30 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, guest soloist
The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD
As “The President’s Own” triumphantly returns to live performances, the centerpiece of the 2022 Showcase Concert series is this special gala concert at the beautiful Music Center at Strathmore. This concert takes stock of the challenges of the last two years and serves as a celebration of the arts and live music. Appropriately beginning with legendary American composer Adolphus Hailstork’s opener entitled “Celebration!,” the program continues with a world première of a new piece by celebrated composer and violist Jessica Meyer, written especially for the Marine Band and this occasion. The Marine Band also revisits Leonard Bernstein’s classic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story in time for the show's newest iteration for film, and collaborates for the first time with world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, performing a brand new transcription of a Concerto based on the tango that was written specifically for him by Aaron Zigman, famed composer for both film and the concert stage. (Photo by Andrew Eccles)
- HAILSTORK | "Celebration!"
- MEYER | Press On - world première
- BERNSTEIN / trans. Lavender | Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
- ZIGMAN / arr. D. Patterson* | Tango Manos (Concerto for Piano) - Jean-Yves Thibaudet, guest soloist
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
This concert is free but tickets are required.
Young People's Concert: Once Upon a Symphony
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, March 20 | 2 PM
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
James Stephenson, guest composer
Join guest composer James Stephenson and the Marine Chamber Orchestra for this 50-minute immersion in the fascinating world of musical composition. This highly engaging and interactive program not only introduces young audiences to the instruments of the symphony orchestra, but also involves them in the compositional process culminating in a unique world première performance.
Guest Composer James Stephenson
chamber music series
Sunday, March 27 | 2 PM (ET)
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Staff Sgt. Samuel Ross, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- SPARKE | Divertimento
- RAVEL | Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
- LAURELLO | Spine
- GIPPS | Pan and Apollo, Opus 78
- HINDEMITH | Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet, Opus 30
Symphony No. 29
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, April 3 | 2 PM
1st Lt. Darren Y. Lin, conducting
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the most influential composers in the history of Western music. He was a master of melody that was able to capture the hearts and the ears of the public. This concert features Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A major, one of his best known early symphonies and one he wrote right before he left his hometown for Vienna. The program also features John Corigliano’s lush Voyage, Stefan Freund’s tribute to the music of Aphex Twin, Unremixed, as well as Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, performed by Henry Auxenfans, winner of the Marine Band’s annual Concerto Competition for High School Musicians.
- MOZART | Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527
- MENDELSSOHN | Allegro molto appassionato from Violin Concerto in E minor, Opus 64 - Henry Auxenfans, guest soloist; winner of the 2022 Marine Band Concerto Competition
- FREUND | Unremixed
- CORIGLIANO | Voyage
- MOZART | Symphony No. 29 in A, K. 201
CANCELED: Tributes
Marine Band
CANCELED: Sunday, April 10 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Music often emerges from the inspiration of individuals, places, or moments in time that leave an indelible mark on a composer. The homages to these muses are engraved in their notes, and become a new piece of art in their own right. This program celebrates these works, including music written for a Presidential Inauguration, as well as loving tributes to a composer’s homeland, and several other unique artists of the past. Nearly every work on the concert was composed or arranged for “The President’s Own,” including a concert suite from a new ballet by American composer James Stephenson that captures the musical spirit of the 1920s and honors one of the stars of the day, Fanny Brice. The program concludes with the American première of Michael Gilbertson’s Usonian Dwellings, which was commissioned by the Marine Band for their historic tour to Japan in 2019 and inspired by the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
- ARCHER | Fanfare Politeia
- MENDELSSOHN / trans. Knox* | Konzertstück No. 1 in F minor, Opus 113 - Gunnery Sgt. Joseph LeBlanc, clarinet soloist and Staff Sgt. Parker Gaims, Basset horn soloist
- HUSA | Music for Prague 1968
- STEPHENSON | Wooden Dimes: Ballet for Wind Ensemble
- GILBERTSON | Usonian Dwellings
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
Masterworks
Marine Band
Sunday, April 24 | 2 PM
Maj. Ryan J. Nowlin, conducting
Few artists capture the imagination, stir the heart, and ceaselessly inspire like Sergei Rachmaninoff and Ottorino Respighi. This program features two of these contemporary composers' masterpieces, both of which premièred in New York City. Pianist Staff Sgt. Christopher Schmitt performs Rachmaninoff’s challenging and invigorating Piano Concerto No. 3 accompanied by the Marine Band in a new transcription by Master Gunnery Sgt. Donald Patterson, USMC (ret.). In the second half, the performance shifts to the Italian influences of Antonio Vivaldi's Transit aetas, volant anni from Juditha triumphans and Respighi’s unmatched symphonic poem Roman Festivals – the culminating work in his “Roman Trilogy.”
- RACHMANINOFF / trans. D. Patterson* | Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Opus 30 - Staff Sgt. Christopher Schmitt, soloist
- VIVALDI | "Transit aetas, volant anni" from Juditha triumphans - Master Sgt. Sara Sheffield, mezzo-soprano; MSgt Brian Turnmire, mandolin; MGySgt Karen Grimsey, harp
- RESPIGHI / trans. D. Patterson* | Roman Festivals
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
Chamber Music Series
Sunday, May 1 | 2 PM (ET)
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Gunnery Sgt. David Constantine, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- TREWARTHA | Glamfare
- ZIMMERLI | Aspects of Darkness and Light
- PERRUCHON | Cinq Danses Dogoriennes
- COREA / arr. Sommer | Children's Song #6/Armando's Rhumba
- LARSEN | Slang
- KNABLE | Tango Boogie
Mother's Day Magic
Marine Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, May 8 | 2 PM
Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting
Mimi Stillman, guest soloist
The Marine Chamber Orchestra is delighted to partner with internationally acclaimed flutist and Music Director of Dolce Suono, Mimi Stillman. Mimi will play a brand new Concerto written especially for her by composer Zhou Tian, along with a new arrangement for flute and orchestra of Argentinian composer Astor Piazolla’s famous Libertango. Of all the classical overtures that could open such a program, Mozart’s brilliant curtain raiser from his opera The Magic Flute is among the most fitting, and rounding out this Mother’s Day extravaganza is a performance of Maurice Ravel’s gorgeous suite of music taken from his ballet based on the traditional collection of children’s stories in Mother Goose. (Photo by Steve Anderson)
- MOZART | Overture to The Magic Flute, K. 620
- ZHOU | Concerto for Flute and Orchestra - Mimi Stillman, guest soloist; world première
- RAVEL | Mother Goose
- PIAZZOLLA / trans. Ninmer* | Libertango - Mimi Stillman, guest flute soloist
*Member, U.S. Marine Band
Chamber Music Series
Sunday, May 22 | 2 PM (ET)
In-Person Concert & Livestream! Please note, seating is limited for this concert.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Gregoire, coordinator
John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, Washington, DC
- BRUNS | Trio for Two Bassoons and Contrabassoon, Opus 97
- RAVEL / arr. Hekkema | Le Tombeau de Couperin
- PREVIN | Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano
- POULENC / arr. Sommer | Sonata for Flute and Piano
- JANÁČEK | Mládí (Youth)