CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND— Staff Sgt. Eric Knorr, Airman 1st Class David Diamond, Senior Airman Jason Smith and 2nd Lt. David Alpar join the Cleveland Pops Orchestra onstage for the finale of Beethoven’s “Wellington’s Victory.” Members of Band of Flight marched to the stage and musically represented the British and French forces during the Battle of Vitoria in Spain on June 21, 1813. Britain’s Duke of Wellington ultimately won the day. (Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Ellen Harr)

INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS — Staff Sgt. E. Justin Allen stands on the Victory Podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Lisa Taylor, Army Sgt. Jennifer Castle, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Landon Crissup and Marine Gunnery Sgt. Remayl L. Shaffer-Hardy. They were in Indianapolis to perform the National Anthem at the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500. (DoD photo by Samantha L. Quigley)

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND — Members of the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight perform Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” from the balcony of Cleveland’s Severance Hall with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. The piece, which represents Russia’s victory over Napoleon, was performed during the annual “Armed Forces Salute.” (Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Ellen Harr)

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND— Lt. Col. Alan Sierichs and vocalists Tech. Sgt. Amy Nagel, Staff Sgt. Justin Allen, Airman 1st Class Kelly Perry and Staff Sgt. Amber Grimes lead the audience in “God Bless America” during the Band of Flight’s concert with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. (Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Ellen Harr)

On the road again: AFMC band begins summer concerts

Published June 12, 2006
By 1st Lt Ellen Harr
U.S. Air Force Band of Flight Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- From nationally-televised sporting events to prestigious concert halls and community parades, the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight has begun a busy summer concert season that includes local events and concert tours throughout the region.

The summer began with the rumbling of 33 engines and a cloud of smoke when Staff Sgt. Justin Allen, a vocalist and native of Indianapolis, represented the Air Force in a group of five servicemembers who sang the national anthem at the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 May 28.

Sergeant Allen returned to Dayton in time to join the band for Memorial Day events at the Dayton VA Medical Center and Dayton National Cemetery.

Next, the band headed to Cleveland’s Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, to perform the national anthem for the Indians’ game against the Chicago White Sox June 1.

The concert band then joined the Cleveland Pops Orchestra for an “Armed Forces Salute” June 2 at Cleveland’s Severance Hall. The two ensembles performed together on Beethoven’s “Wellington’s Victory,” Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The Band of Flight also performed the program “Irving Berlin: An American Patriot” for the packed house of 2,100 concertgoers.

The concert tour continued with performances at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Penna. and Pittsburgh’s Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum.

The band continues with preparations for the second Air Force Materiel Command tattoo “Freedom’s Call,” which will take place June 30.

Following the tattoo, the Band of Flight will be on the road again for a community relations tour in Michigan from July 3-11. They are scheduled to perform in Battle Creek, Sterling Heights, South Haven, Jackson, Portage and Lansing. Later in July, the band will play concerts in Springfield, Mich. and the Ohio towns of Ashland, Boardman, Medina and Kirtland.

Events closer to home include free public concerts at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering July 26 at 7:30 p.m. and at the Centerville Amphitheatre July 30 at 7 p.m. The band will also participate in the Dayton Air Show Parade July 28 in Vandalia.

The Band of Flight serves as the Air Force’s musical ambassadors throughout the Midwest – telling the Air Force story with more than 500 performances each year. The band travels more than 100,000 miles annually and supports the Air Force by preserving our national musical heritage, reaching out to local communities, providing music for official military events and boosting troop morale.

For more information about the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight and upcoming concerts, visit the band’s Web site at http://bandofflight.wpafb.af.mil/.