Navy Concert Band to perform at NSU

NATCHITOCHES – The United States Navy Concert Band will perform at Northwestern State University Monday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Admission is free, but tickets are required and can be obtained by calling (318) 357-5773.

The Concert Band includes Northwestern State alumnus Josh Arvizu of DeRidder.

Since 1925, the Concert Band has presented concerts throughout the United States in addition to performances at White House and Pentagon ceremonies in Washington. Concerts offer patriotic, classical, martial and pops musical selections.

Collaboration with celebrities has become a hallmark for the Concert Band.  The band was featured with Arthur Godfrey of NBC radio fame in 1927.  Gene Kelly was guest star for the first episode of “The Navy Hour” radio program in 1945, which the band produced for 23 years.  The band also featured guest artists Tony Curtis and Gregory Peck.  In 2002, the band was performed “America the Beautiful,” which was broadcast by the NFL prior to each game during opening week.
In addition to national concert tours and an extensive local concert season, the Concert Band has been featured internationally at festivals in Oslo, Stockholm and Quebec City.  In 1996, the band was honored to participate in the 300th Anniversary of the Russian Fleet in St. Petersburg and in the Baltic International Festival of the Fleets in Kaliningrad, Russia.

Recognized as one of the finest wind ensembles in the world, the Concert Band is in constant demand by the nation’s foremost musical education organizations, such as the American Bandmasters Association and The Midwest Clinic.