U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, U.S. Fleet Forces Band, Gosport Brass Band and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra offer Music and Fun for the Entire Family Starting in June at Fort Monroe.
FORT MONROE, VA – The Fort Monroe Authority will launch its second annual Music by the Bay at Fort Monroe Summer Concert Series. Located at the Gazebo at Continental Park, the military band concerts are held each Thursday evening beginning at 7 p.m. (except for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert finale which will be held on Friday, August 30 beginning at 7:30pm). All concerts are free and open to the public. The lineup includes:
Fort Monroe Music by the Bay
2013 Weekly Summer Concert Series
June 13–August 30, 2013
Thursdays at 7:00 pm
Continental Park, Fort Monroe
| Date | Concert Name | Location | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 13, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band-Wind Ensemble |
| June 20, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band -Four Star Edition Rock Band |
| June 27, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band – Brass Band |
| July 4, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band-Wind Ensemble |
| July 11, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band-Wind Ensemble |
| July 18, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band -Four Star Edition Rock Band |
| July 25, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | Gosport Brass Band |
| August 1, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band – Brass Band |
| August 8, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | United States Air Force Band – Brass Quintet |
| August 15, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | United States Air Force Band – Rhythm in Blue Jazz Ensemble |
| August 22, 2013 | Music By the Bay | Continental Park | U.S. Fleet Forces Band-Wind Ensemble |
| August 30, 2013 | Virginia Symphony Orchestra | Continental Park | *Virginia Symphony Orchestra Band |
“With nearly 10,000 audience members, The Music by the Bay Summer Concert series was a huge hit last year. Military concerts are a rich tradition at Fort Monroe and the FMA is extremely proud to be able to continue that tradition for a second year by partnering with our local Navy and Air Force bands” says Glenn Oder, Executive Director of the Fort Monroe Authority. “We encourage everyone to visit Fort Monroe and enjoy this one of a kind venue on the bay.” The summer concert series at Continental Park offers people amazing music, at a historic and beautiful location for free. This second annual series will attract audiences from across the region and continues a 70 plus year history of concerts held at Fort Monroe, while it was an active Army base. Mr. Oder added, “We’re also extremely excited to announce the Virginia Symphony Orchestra will play the finale concert once again on August 30th. The Symphony’s performance was last year’s concert series grand finale and drew thousands of audience members”.
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About the Bands performing this summer:
The Gosport Brass Band is an American Civil War living history ensemble. The band consists of 5 saxhorns and 2 percussionists using authentic reproductions of mid 19th century instruments and an announcer/narrator, all in period uniforms and dress of the 19th century. Members of the Gosport Brass Band come from America’s finest symphony orchestras and have well over 150 years experience as first tier musicians and performers.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Band is the musical representative for the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and is the largest of the Navy’s 11 Fleet Bands. This unit provides musical support for ships, military bases, foreign dignitaries, and many community relations events. The band, under the direction of Lieutenant Charles S. White, is fortunate to be staffed by some of the Navy’s finest and most talented musicians.
The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band has a rich history of inspiring hearts and minds, building and sustaining American patriotism, and enhancing esprit de corps in the United States Air Force. It was one of the original Army Air Corps bands, created by order of the Secretary of War on October 1, 1941 and assigned to Barksdale Field, Louisiana. In June 1946, after a short stay at Brooks Field, Texas, the band arrived at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, its current home. The band’s 45 men and women are assigned to two primary ensembles: the USAF Heritage of America Concert Band and the Blue Aces popular music ensemble. The concert band breaks down into five smaller touring groups: the Heritage Brass Quintet, the Langley Winds woodwind ensemble, Rhythm in Blue jazz ensemble, and are newest Dixie-style ensemble Heritage Ramblers.
The Virginia Symphony has enriched the communities of Hampton Roads for 90 years, offering more 140 classical, pops, family, educational, and outreach concerts each season, including orchestral support of the Virginia Opera and the Virginia Arts Festival. Under Grammy Award-Winning Music Director JoAnn Falleta’s leadership, the orchestra has risen to new artistic heights. In August 2000, the Virginia Symphony was accepted into the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, officially entering the “major league” of symphony orchestras. VSO concerts are performed throughout Hampton Roads, and the Commonwealth.
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The lineup and schedule are subject to change.
For more information, contact Phyllis Terrell, 757-251-2754 or PTerrell@fmauthority.com.
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The Fort Monroe Authority is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fort Monroe is a federal military reservation and a National Historic Landmark (NHL) District located in Fort Monroe, Virginia. Fort Monroe was closed as a military facility on September 15, 2011 in accordance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.
