America's Navy is coming home to Virginia Beach, Virginia. The U.S. Fleet Forces Band Wind Ensemble will be performing a free concert open to the public — one of the Navy's signature outreach programs.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Band Wind Ensemble will be performing a free side-by-side concert with the Princess Anne High School band for the public on Thursday, April 2, 2015. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at Princess Anne High School, 4400 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Wind Ensemble, led by Lt. Cmdr. Mark Corbliss, is the largest of the U.S. Fleet Forces Band’s performing units. The Wind Ensemble performs at military and community events throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. They are also available for educational concerts, master classes, and clinics for high school and college students.
The band's repertoire ranges from traditional martial music to patriotic favorites and the finest works from the wind band literature. Maintaining a reputation of consistent quality and versatility, the U.S. Fleet Forces Wind Ensemble endures as one of Virginia’s most respected performing ensembles.
Established in 1945, the United States Fleet Forces Band serves as the Navy’s musical ambassador for the Hampton Roads area. The U.S. Fleet Forces Band is comprised of 43 Navy Musicians that perform in a variety of ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, Ceremonial and Marching Band, Fleet Jazz Ensemble, the rock band “Four Star Edition,” as well as several chamber music ensembles and reception combos.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Band regularly participates in significant national and international events, including: the 2010 Canadian Naval Centennial in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Operation Sail 2000/International Naval Review in New York, the USS Cole (DDG-67) 10th anniversary memorial ceremony, Greenville, South Carolina’s “Freedom Weekend Aloft,” support of the 50th Anniversary of D-Day in England and France, and as the United States’ representative to the Nova Scotia, Canada, International Tattoo and the Virginia International Tattoo.
The band has performed with many internationally renowned artists, including Lee Greenwood, Harry Connick Jr., the Spinners, Chuck Mangione, Sugarland, Michael Brecker, and Marvin Hamlisch.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Band performs over 700 engagements annually. Its mission is to serve the Mid-Atlantic region ashore and deployed units around the world by providing musical support for ships, military bases, Navy Recruiting, foreign dignitaries, and community relations events, both locally and internationally. This outstanding military band entertains audiences numbering in the millions every year.
For more information about this concert, please check out the band’s website at http://www.usfleetforcesband.navy.mil.
For more information on U.S. Fleet Forces Band public performances, please like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfleetforcesband or email inquiries to pao.usffband@navy.mil.