On today’s date in 1897, John Philip Sousa was in Philadelphia and leading his band in the premiere performance of “The Stars and Stripes Forever!” Sousa wrote his most famous march on Christmas Day, 1896, in a New York hotel room—completing the score, he said, in just a couple of hours. The...Episode details...
On today’s date in 2003, the Wind Ensemble of the University of Texas at Austin, led by Jerry Junkin, premiered a new work for wind band by the American composer David Del Tredici.
Its title was “In Wartime,” as its composition and premiere coincided with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by the...Episode details...
In 1952, the West Point Military Band celebrated that famous military academy’s Sesquicentennial by asking prominent composers to write celebratory works to mark the occasion. Among those who responded with a new piece was the American composer Morton Gould, whose “West Point Symphony” received...Episode details...
Looking for a patriotic soundtrack for your Fourth of July celebration? We've programmed a 4-hour playlist of classical and Americana music to go with whatever you're doing on Independence Day, from cooking out to watching fireworks.
Today’s date marks the birthday in 1938 of the American composer John Corigliano, and also, in 2005, of the premiere performance of his Symphony No. 3, a work scored for large wind ensemble. The premiere performance was given in Austin, Texas, by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble led by Jerry...Episode details...
On today's date in 1959, the Duke University Band, under its conductor Paul Bryan, gave the official premiere performance of a new work they had commissioned: the Symphony No. 3 for concert band by the American composer, Vittorio Giannini, a noted composer of vocal music including songs and...Episode details...
John Philip Sousa was no stranger to Minnesota. He and his band performed here more than 100 times, including at the State Fair, and he even composed two marches inspired by our state. But there's so much more that connects the March King with Minnesota.
