Celebrating Springfield's Biggest, Best and Brightest!
SPECIAL EDITION
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The Spirit of Springfield is honored to present a free concert by The President's Own U. S. Marine Band! It is part of their 2022 tour of the Northeast, and their first trip back to Springfield Symphony Hall since 2017.
Thank you to Eastman-Indian Orchard for recognizing the importance of the concert and sponsoring for the enjoyment of their employees and all who attend.
I encourage everyone to join us and The President's Own U. S. Marine Band for a world-class concert. Bring the family!
-- Judy Matt
President
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The President's Own U. S. Marine Band
The President's Own U. S. Marine Band’s northeast tour is coming to Springfield Symphony Hall on Sunday, October 16th at 3pm. Sponsored by Eastman-Indian Orchard, It will feature the world-class talents of 50 musicians performing a diverse mix of programs.
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Under the direction of Colonel Jason K. Fettig, the band will be performing concerts in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont in October. Fettig has programmed musical selections in the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891. Concertgoers can expect a mix of works including traditional band repertoire, Sousa marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and a patriotic salute to the Armed Forces.
The Marine Band is America's oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Founded in 1798, the band has performed for every U. S. President since John Adams. Known as "The President's Own since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band's mission is to provide music to the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Concertgoers will receive greetings from Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Major General Gary Keefe, The Adjutant General for the Massachusetts National Guard, Judy Matt, Spirit of Springfield President, and Shawn Pace, Site Manager for Eastman-Indian Orchard, with Western Mass New's Jenna Brown serving as the emcee.
In addition to Eastman-Indian Orchard, the concert by The President's Own U. S. Marine Band is supported by MassLive, The Republican, Western Mass News, and WMAS FM.
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Free Concert Tickets
Tickets can also be obtained by by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Spirit of Springfield, 1350 Main Street, Suite 1004, Springfield, MA 01103.
Special thanks to Pride Convenience Stores, Springfield Business Improvement District, and NAI Plotkin for distributing the free tickets from their locations.
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John Phillips Sousa
John Phillips Sousa had a significant impact on The President's Own U. S. Marine Band, and performed "The Freelance March" in Springfield on March 26, 1906.
John Philip Sousa is responsible for bringing the U. S. Marine Band to an unprecedented level of excellence: a standard upheld by every Marine Band Director since. Sousa grew up with the Marine Band with his father as a member, that coupled with his great ability provided the ideal medium to showcase the marches earned him the title, the "March King."
The Marine Band was Sousa’s first experience conducting a military band. He replaced much of the music in the library with symphonic transcriptions and changed the instrumentation to meet his needs. Rehearsals became exceptionally strict, and he shaped his musicians into the country’s premier military band. Marine Band concerts began to attract discriminating audiences, and the band’s reputation began to spread widely.
In 1888, he wrote "Semper Fidelis." Dedicated to "the officers and men of the Marine Corps," it is traditionally known as the "official" march of the Marine Corps.
In his 12 years as Leader of the Marine Band, he served under five Presidents, and the experience he gained with the Marine Band would be applied to his civilian band for the next 39 years. With his own band, Sousa’s fame and reputation would grow to even greater heights.
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Springfield Symphony Hall
Constructed between 1911-1913 and originally known as "The Auditorium," Symphony Hall is known for its excellent acoustics and Greek Revival architecture. It is part of the architecturally significant Springfield Municipal Group, and sits beside an ornate, 300 foot tall Italianate Campanile, which, in turn, is located next to Springfield's Greek Revival City Hall. The Municipal Complex's architecture is a notable example of the City Beautiful style made popular by Daniel Burnham, an architect from Chicago, Illinois, in the early 20th century.
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The Springfield Municipal Complex was dedicated by President William Howard Taft in December 1913. In his dedication, Taft praised the three buildings as "one of the most distinctive civic centers in the nation, and indeed, the world."
Symphony Hall has a current seating capacity of 2,611 people. Initially it seated over 1,000 more people; however, it has been renovated several times to meet modern seating standards - and modern body sizes - and thus lost seats.
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The Auditorium was renamed Symphony Hall during the 1940s, after it became the main performance venue for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. It is also home to Broadway-style theatre, children’s programming, internationally recognized speakers, and the annual induction ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as numerous concerts and performances including the Spirit of Springfield's annual holiday concert by the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. |
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH
FOR THE
FREE HOLIDAY CONCERT
BY THE 215TH ARMY BAND
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