About the Ensembles of “The President’s Own”
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, Marine Chamber Orchestra, and Marine Chamber Ensembles perform for more than 300 White House and more than 500 public and official performances each year. Though “The President’s Own” is composed of roughly 160 members—including musicians, a professional support staff, a drum major and assistant drum major, directors, and officers—the performing size of the band, chamber orchestra, and chamber ensembles varies with each concert or ceremony.
A public Marine Band concert may feature 75 performers while a Marine Chamber Ensembles performance may feature as few as two or three. A State Funeral or Presidential Inauguration may feature a Marine Band with 99 musicians marching; a Full Honors Funeral at Arlington National Cemetery may feature only 21. Special ensembles such as the Marine Jazz Orchestra and Free Country, the Marine Band’s contemporary country music ensemble, also vary in size and instrumental groupings.
The number of active musicians in “The President’s Own”—roughly 130 brass, woodwind, percussion, string, and vocal performers—enables “The President’s Own” ensembles to perform for hundreds of commitments annually. These commitments often occur simultaneously throughout the Washington, D.C., area and across the nation during the annual concert tour.
How did “The President’s Own” evolve to its present-day form? Learn more!
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