Army band and chorus performing Friday

The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus will perform Friday night in the Dyer County High School gymnasium.

The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Dyer County High School gymnasium. Tickets are free and may be obtained from the State Gazette, 294 Highway 51 Bypass North; Anderson Printing and Office Products, 640 Highway 51 Bypass East; and SL100, 2555 Huish Road.

The band's concert repertoire is designed to appeal to all audiences, offering classical, semi-classical and popular selections, choral arrangements, novelty numbers and military marches.

The Field Band was organized on March 21, 1946, when Gen. Jacob L. Devers issued the following order to Chief Warrant Officer Chester E. Whiting, the commander of the Army's First Combat Infantry Band: "I want you to organize a band that will carry into the grassroots of our country the story of our magnificent Army, its glorious traditions and achievements; and of the great symbol of American manhood - the ground soldier."

The band members are considered the Army's finest soldier-musicians. Many have studied at the country's leading conservatories and schools of music, have performed with major symphonies, and taught at colleges and universities before entering the service. All of the musicians have been selected by highly competitive audition for assignment to the Field Band.

Col. Thomas H. Palmatier of Ballston Spa, N.Y., is the Field Band commander and conductor. He is the ninth director in the band's history and brings more than 20 years experience in military music.

The Soldiers' Chorus, the vocal complement of the Field Band, is made up of 29 highly trained and talented vocalists. The chorus present arrangements of well-known popular and patriotic compositions at each performance.

"Singing instrumentalists" often performed with the Field Band in its early history, but the chorus wasn't officially formed until 1957. It remained an all-male chorus until 1974, when the first full-time female vocalist was hired. It is now a traditional mixed chorus of sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones and basses.

The musical backgrounds of Soldiers' Chorus personnel range from opera and musical theater to music education and vocal coaching. This diversity provides unique programming flexibility. In addition to presenting selections from the vast choral repertoire, Soldiers' Chorus performances often include the music of Broadway, opera, barbershop quartet and Americana.

Capt. Leonel A. Pena conducts the Soldiers' Chorus.

The band travels thousands of miles each year throughout the nation and abroad, keeping the will of the American people behind the members of the armed forces and supporting diplomatic efforts around the world. Since its formation, the Field Band has appeared in all 50 states and in more than 30 countries on four continents.

Along with the Soldiers' Chorus, this 65-member concert band presents a powerful and diverse program of marches, overtures, popular music, patriotic selections and instrumental and vocal solos. A music critic for the "Boston Globe" called a Field Band performance "a cause to stand up and cheer."

Past performance highlights include World War II 50th anniversary commemorations in the United States and Europe, presidential inaugural parades, the rededication of the Statute of Liberty, nationally televised broadcasts on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Joint concerts with many of the nation's leading orchestras, including the Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops, have received rave reviews.