The U.S. Army Chorus Celebrates 55 years

Contributed By: Jack Kopstein

Major Dwayne S. Milburn, Director

In 1956 The U.S. Army Chorus was established as the vocal counterpart of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and is one of the nation’s only professional men’s choruses. From its inception, The U.S. Army Chorus has established and maintained a reputation of excellence in the performance of male choral literature. Beyond the traditional military music and patriotic standards, the repertoire of the Army Chorus covers a broad spectrum which includes pop, Broadway, folk, and classical music.

The Army Chorus performs frequently at the White House, the Vice President’s Residence, the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the State Department. World leaders, such as the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, former Presidents Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, Lech Walesa of Poland, and Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union have been serenaded by the Army Chorus during state visits. These visiting dignitaries are often greeted in their native tongues, as the Chorus is able to sing in more than 26 languages.

In 2007, the group was featured at the State Dinner held in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2008 at the State Arrival Ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI held on the south lawn of the White House. The Chorus participated in the dedication ceremonies of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, and memorial ceremonies honoring significant events in our country’s history including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, National World War II Memorial, and the Pentagon Memorial. The Army Chorus was personally requested to perform for the private interment services of former Presidents Ronald Wilson Reagan in 2004, and Gerald R. Ford in early 2007.

The Army Chorus regularly appears with the National Symphony Orchestra in the televised Memorial Day and Independence Day performances from the U.S. Capitol. Also, the Chorus has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the San Francisco Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, and the Dallas Wind Symphony.

The group has been featured on many well-known stages, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Hall Music Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Meyerson Symphony Center. In 1999, the Chorus was invited to perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square for a live radio and television broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.

In 2008, the Army Chorus joined forces with the Colorado Symphony Chorus, the Aspen Festival Orchestra, and conductor David Zinman for a rare performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder at the Aspen Music Festival.

The members of the Army Chorus, most of whom hold advanced degrees in music, are selected from among the nation’s finest musicians. In 2011 the group will celebrate its 55th Anniversary which will be marked with concerts that include a reunion of past members, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in music education and as soloists on Broadway and opera stages around the world.

Visit the U.S. Amy Chorus website:
http://www.usarmyband.com/chorus/the_us_army_chorus.html

Army Chorus Events Calendar:
http://www.usarmyband.com/event-calendar.html

The United States Navy Sea Chanters

Contributed By: Jack Kopstein

The spread of cultural richness is one function military music plays in the defence of our democracy throughout the world. This was never truer than during the Cold War. From 1948-1991, members of the Navy Band travelled throughout the United States, South America and Europe, performing for millions while playing their part in the advancement our national diplomatic interests.

One such Cold War mission occurred on December 1961, when 29 members of the United States Navy Band were sent to West Berlin to participate in a series of concerts sponsored by the United States Information Agency (USIA). The USIA, led at the time by Great American Newsman Edward R. Murrow, who was charged with influencing a positive image of the United States overseas. It accomplished this mission through propaganda campaigns that included motion pictures, television and radio broadcasts, funding of libraries, arts exchanges, etc. The USIA’s main goal at this time was to thwart the spread of communism and counter the negative propaganda created by the Soviet government.

The catalyst for this particular Navy Band Cold War mission began on June 24, 1961. In his first months as President, John F. Kennedy met with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the Vienna Summit. In a strong response to a war threat made by Khrushchev, Kennedy stated, “Then, Mr. Chairman, there will be a war. It will be a long, cold winter.” A few months later the Berlin Wall was constructed and the battle lines were effectively drawn.

With tensions running high, it became absolutely necessary that a positive diplomatic message be sent throughout the Eastern Bloc countries. To do this the State Department and the USIA turned to the United States Navy Band. A USIA letter to the band stated that Berlin had requested a “first-rank American choir” to participate in a special “Berlin Christmas” broadcast. The Sea Chanters, formed in 1956, had already established an international reputation and were perfect for the task at hand.

On December 20th, members of the Navy Band including the Sea Chanters, together with a small jazz combo, vocalist Ben Mitchell Morris, and Harmonica soloist Dick Bain, departed for West Berlin. Over the next four days these musicians performed a dozen special concerts for American military personnel, German civilian groups, hospital patients, and radio broadcast audiences.

“We were billeted at the Berlin Hotel. Over the next several days we made the usual rounds of singing at hospitals, military installations, and other venues. We were taken on several bus tours of the city, East Berlin, which we entered and left through Checkpoint Charlie. West Berlin had been largely rebuilt by then and was a lively, festive place, brightly decorated for Christmas. East Berlin was for the most part rubble. The only Christmas decoration was a pitiful string of lights on the sign of a small shop. That section of the city was almost completely dark. The Russians used buildings, with the windows and doors bricked in, as part of the wall. One of the most moving sights on the trip was a Bible that one of the masons had mortared in as a brick in one of the windows.

We were encouraged to go into East Berlin often to establish that, although the Russians had cut it off from the West by the wall, the Eastern Zone was still occupied in part by the Allies, and American military personnel had the right to access the entire city. ”
The trip culminated in a very special 90 minute “television spectacular.” Taped on December 23rd, this concert featured the Sea Chanters, the famous American contralto Marian Anderson, The Oberkirchen Boys Choir, The St. Hedwig Cathedral Choir, The Berlin Radio Orchestra, Cardinal Spellman of New York, and taped messages from President Kennedy, British Prime Minster Harold McMillan, and French President Charles De Gaulle. This live broadcast was telecast throughout Germany and fed to the Eurovision TV Network. With an estimated audience of over 200 million viewers, including an estimated several million viewers in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, the Sea Chanters performed brilliantly and were an integral part to the success of this mission.

President John F Kennedy said of the mission:
It is difficult to judge the importance of this type of cultural diplomacy. What is definite, however, is that the members of the Navy Band distinguished themselves by projecting a positive American image at a time of heightened Cold War tensions. This is a legacy that the men and women of the Navy Band have proudly maintained.

“I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens. And I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well.”

Today The Navy Band Sea Chanters is the United States Navy’s official chorus and remain one of America’s finest vocal groups. The ensemble performs a variety of music ranging from traditional choral music, including sea chanteys and patriotic fare, to opera, Broadway, and contemporary music. Under the leadership of Senior Chief Musician Georgina L. Todd, the Sea Chanters perform for the public throughout the United States.  . In 1956, Lt. Harold Fultz, then the band’s assistant leader, organized a group from the Navy School of Music to sing chanteys and patriotic songs for the State of the Nation dinner. An immediate success, Admiral Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations, transferred them to the Navy Band, named them the Sea Chanters and tasked this all-male chorus with perpetuating the songs of the sea. In 1980, the group added women to their ranks and expanded their repertoire to include everything from Brahms to Broadway.

The Sea Chanters are frequently found at the center of our most important national events, including Inauguration Day, 2009. They have played a vital role in comforting the nation in times of mourning, including appearances at memorials for the astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia and the presidential wreath laying ceremony at the United Airlines flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pa. Their performance of “Amazing Grace” for the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance at the National Cathedral in Washington after the events of 9/11 inspired all in attendance as well as a national television audience. They have appeared at the Kennedy Center Honors and with the National Symphony Orchestra for the nationally telecast “National Memorial Day Concerts” at the U.S. Capitol. In addition the group has appeared on “Larry King Live” and “CBS This Morning” as well as at the premier of the movie “Pearl Harbour”.  . The Sea Chanters have enjoyed a great reputation performing with such stars as Perry Como, Marian Anderson, Kenny Rogers and Lionel Richie.

Throughout their history, the Sea Chanters have remained true to the Navy’s watchwords of pride and professionalism, and they continue to flourish as a vibrant ensemble.

Altissimo salute the artistry,  and spirit of a truly great American Institution THE US NAVY SEA CHANTERS

See them live on YouTube in a thrilling video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojbQctA9qyA

Visit the Navy Sea Chanters’ Website:

http://www.navyband.navy.mil/sea_chanters.shtml

Sea Chanters’ Events Calendar:

http://www.navyband.navy.mil/event_calendar.shtml