March/April 2016 w Volume 37 Number 2
Young Artist Competition Spotlight on Angie Brewer Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Registry
A Message from the Commanding Officer
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reetings from tour! By the time you read this, the Concert Band will be out on the road, traveling through five states and 23 cities, bringing music and the Navy’s message to people throughout New England. The Sea Chanters will depart for their own tour of the region in April. Our tours give us an opportunity to bring the Navy to parts of the country that don’t see Sailors on a regular basis, and allows us to display the same professionalism and dedication our hardworking Sailors display around the world every day. While it is hard to be away from home and family for weeks at a time, it gives us an appreciation for the sacrifice that many Sailors make for much longer periods of time. How do we choose where we tour? Every year since 1925, we travel to a different part of the country in coordination with the other premier service bands in Washington, D.C., so that each region of the country gets to hear military music-making at its finest. Essentially, we visit each region of the country once every five years. We would love to see you while we are touring. If you are in the Northeast and are interested in attending one of our performances, please visit our website, or you can find the Sea Chanters’ and the remainder of the Concert Band’s tour schedule in this issue (the Concert Band’s full schedule was published in the January/February issue.). Our website also has the long-term calendar so you can find out which unit of the Navy Band might be performing near you in the future. As always, thank you for your support of the U.S. Navy and Navy Band.
fanfare Volume 37 Number 2
Commanding Officer/Leader CAPT Kenneth Collins
Public Affairs Officer MUC Adam K. Grimm Editorial Staff MUC Melissa D. Bishop MU1 Sarah F. Blecker Layout and Design MUC Stephen W. Hassay MU1 Adrienne W. Moore
Photographers MUC Brian P. Bowman MUC Stephen W. Hassay MU1 James C. Anderson MU1 David B. Aspinwall MU1 Jon C. Barnes MU1 Eric A. Brown MU1 Jeremy D. Buckler MU1 Adele Demi MU1 David Smith
Kenneth C. Collins, Captain, USN Commanding Officer/Leader
fanfare is a bi-monthly magazine published by the U.S. Navy Band public affairs staff. Front Cover: Joshua Lauretig, winner of the 2012 Navy Band High School Concerto Competition, performs during an evening concert at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall. Encouraging young musicians is one of the Navy Band’s educational objectives and this annual program is an opportunity for talented high school age musicians to perform with the band. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Musician Stephen Hassay/released)
CHAMBER PLAYERS--CATONSVILLE, MD
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As I would expect from a service band, the instrumentalists were top notch, but I was especially impressed by the rich, sophisticated program and beautiful arrangements. Also nice, was the dedication of this all-French program to the memory of the Paris tragedy victims just a week before. ~Gary
Putting the “service” in service member By Chief Musician Melissa Bishop
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ost of you have seen and heard the Navy Band in action at a performance here in Washington or at a tour concert somewhere near you. Band members are well-known as excellent musicians. Did you know that Navy musicians do other things to represent the Navy through both our collateral duties and our volunteer work? Two examples of volunteerism are the blood drives and bone marrow registries on the Washington Navy Yard coordinated by members of the band. In 2011, Chief Musician Christina Bayes took over as a site coordinator for blood drives at the Navy Yard for the Armed Services Blood Program. She is assisted by Musicians 1st Class Eileen Bedlington and Farah Chisham. Four blood drives are held each year in the Sail Loft. Between 50 and 100 people donate each time, and in the last three years, 600 units of blood have been collected. When you consider that each pint donated can save up to three lives, that number is quite impressive. Donations through the ASBP normally go to active-duty service members and their families at military treatment facilities, but Bayes says,
“The ASBP informed us that on several occasions, blood donated in the Sail Loft has gone directly to our wounded warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan.” One reason the ASBP has been so successful at the Sail Loft is the generosity of donors at the Navy Yard. Bayes notes that the majority of our donors are folks who are generous enough to give blood every 60 days. Another reason, according to Bayes, is the Sail Loft itself. She says, “Many donors, as well as the ASBP staff, tell us that the spaciousness of the Sail Loft, along with the sounds of live music, make it a very special site to donate blood.” In addition to the efforts of Bayes, Bedlington and Chisham, many band members donate regularly or assist with advertising and recruiting donors on base. Another example of a band member dedicated to a cause is Musician 1st Class Jenny Stokes, who has spearheaded local efforts to encourage people to register as potential bone marrow donors. The C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, known as Salute to Life, is a registry which matches those in need of bone marrow or stem cells with potential donors who are military members or DoD employees. In the last two years, Stokes has hosted three separate drives registering people at the Sail Loft, Naval Installations Command, and the Marine Band building at the Marine Barracks. Another drive is scheduled on March 30 at the Humphries Building (home to Naval Sea Systems Command). So far, more than 100
Navy Band’s Senior Enlisted Leader, Master Chief Musician Kevin Dines, from Washington, D.C., donates blood in the Sail Loft on the Historic Washington Navy Yard during an Armed Services Blood Program blood drive. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Musician Stephen Hassay/Released)
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CONCERT BAND—RIVER HILL HIGH SCHOOL, MD
Thank you very much for a wonderful concert! We enjoyed every minute of it. The musicians and performers were outstanding. It was a pleasure to attend this performance in Howard County close to home. Please continue to offer such beautiful concerts for all to enjoy. ~Trudy and Gene
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Performance Schedule
All concerts are FREE and open to the public. Tickets or reservations are not required unless noted (*). Please note that all concert information is accurate at time of publication, though subject to change due to weather and other conditions. For inclement weather announcements, please call 202-433-2525 or visit www.twitter.com/usnavyband. For the most up-to-date information, please check our online performance calendar at: www.navyband.navy.mil
MARCH
CEREMONIAL BAND
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 11 A.M. St. Patrick’s Day Parade King and West streets Old Town Alexandria, Va.
SEA CHANTERS
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 5 P.M.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 7:30 P.M.
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 7 P.M.
CEREMONIAL BAND
COUNTRY CURRENT BLUEGRASS
YOUNG ARTIST SOLO COMPETITION Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall Northern Virginia Community College 4915 E. Campus Drive Alexandria, Va.
SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1 P.M.
Bowie Center for the Performing Arts 15200 Annapolis Road Bowie, Md.
BLESSING OF THE FLEETS U.S. Navy Memorial 701 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C.
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 3 P.M.
COMMODORES
Smithsonian National Gallery of Art Constitution Ave. and 6th St. NW East Building Atrium Washington, D.C.
COMMODORES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 7 P.M. Springer Middle School 2220 Shipley Road Wilmington, Del.
APRIL
CONCERT BAND
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 7 P.M. Brooke Point High School 1700 Courthouse Road Stafford, Va.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 7 P.M. Henry E. Lackey High School 3000 Chicamuxen Road Indian Head, Md.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 7 P.M. Atholton High School 6520 Freetown Road Columbia, Md.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 7 P.M. Alden Theatre 1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean, Va.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 7:30 P.M. Frederick Community College JBK Theater 7932 Opossumtown Pike Frederick, Md.
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 7 P.M.
Jim Rouse Theatre and Performing Arts Center 5460 Trumpeter Road Columbia, Md.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2 P.M. Glen Burnie Regional Library 1010 Eastway Glen Burnie, Md.
LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY SAXOPHONE QUARTET SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2 P.M.
St. John’s United Methodist Church 5312 Backlick Road Springfield, Va.
CONCERT BAND 2016 SPRING TOUR
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE JAZZ FESTIVAL Loudis Recital Hall Amy E. DuPont Music Building Orchard Road Newark, Del.
The Concert Band departed Feb. 20 on an 23-day tour through Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. The following is a list of remaining tour performances.
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 7 P.M.
Notre Dame of Maryland University 4701 N. Charles St. Baltimore, Md.
Shea’s Performing Art Center Shea’s Buffalo Theatre 646 Main St. Buffalo, N.Y.
MONDAY, APRIL 25, 8 P.M.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 7 P.M.
Blues Alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, D.C.
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 7:30 P.M.
Spencerport High School Auditorium 2707 Spencerport Road Spencerport, N.Y.
COUNTRY CURRENT—MURCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WASHINGTON, D.C.
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-I liked when the man sang the words. His voice is so nice. - I liked the music from the drums. And we liked that there was a girl. - We loved the farm animal song. - I liked when you sang the song we sing at baseball games.
~Ms. Garfinkel’s PreK Class
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 7 P.M. Stanley Performing Arts Center 259 Genesee St. Utica, N.Y.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 7 P.M.
Mid-Hudson Civic Center Auditorium 14 Civic Center Plaza Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 7 P.M. Springfield Symphony Hall 34 Court St. Springfield, Mass.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2 P.M.
UMASS Fine Arts Center Auditorium 151 Presidents Drive Amherst, Mass.
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 7 P.M. Wellesley High School 50 Rice St. Wellesley, Mass.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 12 P.M. Mechanics Hall 321 Main St. Worcester, Mass.
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 8 P.M. U.S. Coast Guard Academy Leamy Concert Hall 15 Mohegan Ave. New London, Conn.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 7 P.M.
University of Hartford, Lincoln Theater 200 Bloomfield Ave. West Hartford, Conn.
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 7 P.M. Yale University, Woolsey Hall 500 College Ave. New Haven, Conn.
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 3 P.M. Secaucus High School 11 Millridge Road Secaucus, N.J.
MONDAY, MARCH 14, 7 P.M.
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts 720 Northern Blvd. Greenvale, N.Y.
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 7 P.M. Wall High School Gymnasium 1630 18th Ave. Wall Township, N.J.
SEA CHANTERS 2016 SPRING TOUR The Sea Chanters begin their 21-day tour through the Northeastern United States on April 1. The following is a list of tour performances.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 7 P.M. The Pullo Center 1031 Edgecomb Ave. York, Pa.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 7 P.M. Lackawanna College 501 Vine St. Scranton, Pa.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 3 P.M. Altoona Area High School 1415 6th Ave. Altoona, Pa.
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 7 P.M. Oil City Senior High School 10 Lynch Blvd. Oil City, Pa.
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 7:30 P.M. Louis C. Cole Auditorium 205 Meadville St. Edinboro, Pa.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 7:30 P.M. SUNY Fredonia, King Concert Hall 280 Central Ave. Fredonia, N.Y.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 7 P.M. Wesley Chapel Auditorium Willard Ave. Houghton, N.Y.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 7 P.M. Auburn Jr. High School 191 Franklin St. Auburn, N.Y.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 3 P.M.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School 88 Lake Hill Road Burnt Hills, N.Y.
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 7 P.M. The Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave. Albany, N.Y.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 7:30 P.M. The Paramount Theatre 30 Center St. Rutland, Vt.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 7 P.M. Glastonbury High School 330 Hubbard St. Glastonbury, Conn.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 7 P.M.
Sanford Veterans Memorial Gymnasium 678 Main St. Sanford, Maine
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 7 P.M.
Manchester Central High School 207 Lowell St. Manchester, N.H.
SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 7 P.M. Mattacheese Middle School 400 Higgins Crowell Road West Yarmouth, Mass.
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 7 P.M. Woburn High School 88 Montvale Ave. Woburn, Mass.
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 7 P.M. Ipswich High School 134 High St. Ipswich, Mass.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 7 P.M. Norwalk Concert Hall City Hall, 125 East Ave. Norwalk, Conn.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 7:30 P.M. East Ridge Middle School N. Salem Rd. Route 116 Ridgefield, Conn.
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 7 P.M. Phillipsburg High School 200 Hillcrest Blvd. Phillipsburg, N.H.
HOLIDAY CONCERT
What a fantastic concert. Exceptionally well done! Usually attend at DAR Constitution Hall but had to view it on Youtube. Phenomenal effort and the sound was still great. ~Livestream viewer
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Putting the “service” in service member... continued
people have signed up to see if they are a match for possible donation. Stokes has recruited several fellow band members to volunteer to sign people up at each of the registry drives. Their efforts are paying off. Just from the 30 band members who have signed up as potential matches, two have recently learned that they are a match for someone in need and might get the opportunity to donate. While Stokes has no way of knowing if people outside the band she has helped
register have been notified that they are a match, she hopes other potential donors have been identified. These band members show how powerful volunteer service can be. If you would like to donate blood, please contact the American Red Cross or find an Armed Services Blood Program location near you. For more information about bone marrow registries, please visit the websites of Salute to Life (for military members and DoD employees) or Be The Match (for civilians). ff
The 2016 Young Artist Solo Competition is underway
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By Musician 1st Class Sarah Blecker
ith the advent of spring comes our annual solo competition for students in grades nine through 12. As you may have noticed from the title of this article, 2016 has brought several changes to our competition, the most noticeable of which is a name change. The shift from High School Concerto Competition to Young Artist Solo Competition brings the name of our event more in line with other competitions around the country. Switching the term ‘concerto’ to ‘solo’ also makes sense because many of the pieces on our required repertoire list are not, in fact, concertos. In addition to the name change, the method for entry submission has also changed. Previously applicants submitted CD recordings of their work, but this year MP3 digital recordings were required, which streamlined the process to allow for electronic submission instead of sending entries through the mail. This year’s competition saw a 39% increase in applicants from 10 states. Materials for the preliminary round were due in January after which a panel of judges listened to the recordings and selected finalists to compete at the end of March at the historic Navy Yard here in Washington. The winner will perform their solo work with the Concert Band, and finalists will be invited to join the band onstage to perform an ensemble selection. Prizes include The Ambassador Middendorf Young Artist Award of $1,000 for the winner and awards of $250 and $150 for second and third prizes donated by the National Capital Council Navy League of the United States.
HOLIDAY CONCERT
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The concert featuring the 2016 winner will take place Wednesday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Schlesinger Hall in Alexandria, Virginia. As always, the concert is free and no tickets are required. We hope you can join us! ff Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal MUCS Mike Shelburne, MUC Adam Grimm, MUC Randy Johnson, MUC Pete Revell and MUC Amy Smith
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal MU1 Eric Brown, MU1 Sarah Tietsort and MU1 Adam Whitman
Congratulations to... MU1 Susan Lewis Kavinski, soprano vocalist, who is the recipient of the 2015 Colonel Finley R. Hamilton Outstanding Military Musician Award. Fair winds and following seas to... MUCS Peter Czekaj, audio-visual engineer, who received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal on the occasion of his retirement from the Navy after 26 years of service. Welcome aboard to... MU1 Pamela Kiesling, French horn instrumentalist with the Concert/ Ceremonial Band... and to MU1 Steven Van Dyne, audio-visual engineer.
I would like to thank the US Navy band and all who are associated with it for the beautiful music and memories you have provided to my wife and I not just this year, but every year. I retired as a Chief Petty Officer almost 19 years ago and do not live near a Navy installation. However, through the concerts you perform and youtube videos, watching your performances makes me feel like I’m still on active duty and still a part of the Navy family (at least for a little while) that I miss and love so well. ~Patrick
Spotlight on... Angela Brewer by Chief Musician Adam Grimm
As the command information officer, Angie Brewer serves as the principal advisor for issues regarding information management and information technology investments to business priorities and assigned missions. Tell us about your background. I’m originally from Starkville, Mississippi, home of Mississippi State University (think Bulldogs not Rebels). For most of my school years we lived in Mountain Home, Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains. I grew up with a great appreciation and love of sports. I was a point guard on the basketball team, played on the Mountain Home High School Arkansas State Volleyball championship team and spent lots of summers playing softball. I owe so much to my sports coaches as they taught me skills that have carried me through my professional life: how to work as part of a team, how to win, how to lose and how to prepare! I joined the Navy in 1978 and became a cryptologic technician (technical) and was stationed at Naval Security Group Activities in Edzell, Scotland, and San Vito dei Normanni, Italy. NSGAs were the Navy’s intelligence gathering field activities for the National Security Agency, primarily during the cold war. I copied Morse code, operated teletypes, performed signals analysis, and operated other electronic intelligence receiving equipment. At the time, we didn’t think about how important the work was that we were doing. In 1984, I became a data processing technician. I spent a year near the equator with Patrol Wing One, Anti-submarine Warfare Operations Center, Diego Garcia. I was then selected as the sole data processing technician to winter-over as part of the “Operation Deep-Freeze” program with the Naval Support Force Antarctica in McMurdo Station, Antarctica. I was also selected for chief petty officer while at Antarctica and then spent several years in the Navy Reserves. I went back to Antarctica as a civilian working for the National Science Foundation as a computer technician. I was also on a small team that operated equipment that tracked polar orbiting satellites during their initial launch for NASA. The work we did there led to the successful launch and tracking of a satellite for the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer Earth Probe. TOMS data has
been continuously used for monitoring global and regional trends in total ozone. After Antarctica, I settled into San Diego, California, to thaw. I went to work for the Navy as a contractor and eventually as a civilian government employee, with Space and Naval Warfare System – Pacific. In 2015, Angela Brewer I became the CIO with the U.S. Navy Band. How has the Navy changed since you were active duty? From a job perspective, I would say technology has certainly changed significantly since I enlisted on active duty. To have gone from copying Morse code and operating teletypes to live streaming Navy Band concerts is quite a leap. What has stayed the same is how hard-working and enterprising Sailors can be in the face of challenges. I’ve seen it time and time again on ships, squadrons and shore commands. I see it every day at the Navy Band with musicians doing work in IT, web development, supply, operations, truck driving and managing travel and financial systems. Some of the best changes in the Navy since I enlisted have been to provide more opportunities for talented and qualified women to contribute to the Navy’s mission and to finally stop discharging perfectly qualified gay and lesbian Sailors. I believe that embracing diversity will only continue to make us stronger and increase our integrity in the world. What are you goals while you’re at the Navy Band? First, let me say that I am so honored to have been presented this great opportunity to be the CIO of Navy Band. I have been so impressed with the level of professionalism from both a musical perspective and the never-ending “can do” spirit for every other aspect of business the Navy Band undertakes. I can tell you that there is a great deal of jealousy from my former colleagues who wish they had Continued on page 8 this job.
HOLIDAY CONCERT
I can’t say enough good things about our experience! There was something for everyone’s taste and the musicians were first rate. I also loved the heartwarming videos of the soldiers. I have told everyone that this will be our new family tradition- dinner nearby and then the Navy concert!! It really got us in the Christmas spirit! Thank you all for a wonderful evening!! ~Cathy
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fanfare
Department
of the navy
THE UNITED STATES NAVY BAND 617 WARRINGTON AVE SE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD DC 20374-5054
PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID Washington DC Permit No 6184 DATED MATERIAL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
Spotlight continued... My primary goals are to ensure the Navy Band has the IT tools it needs to continue its mission and that those technologic tools are secure from cybersecurity threats and do not create a threat to the rest of the Navy. One of my goals is to move more of the Navy Band’s work to the cloud and take advantage of technologic advances in digital and collaborative media. We have had some great success already by moving the Navy Band website to the cloud and were able to live stream some of the Navy Band concerts. The challenge will be to find cost-effective ways to conduct business and do it securely and economically while meeting the continued IT compliance and cybersecurity guidelines. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I have always been a “learning geek.” I enjoy learning
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Contact Information: Public Affairs Office The United States Navy Band 617 Warrington Ave. SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5054 202-433-3366
new things and have continuously taken technical certification classes and college classes. In 2015, I completed a personal goal by completing my Bachelor of Science in business – IT management at Western Governors University. That may not seem like fun to most people, but I’m a proud nerd. I really enjoy photography and digital media production. After I take a good break from all the homework I’ve been doing over the last few years, I will start to delve back into digital media and photography fun again. When I’m not being a geek, I really enjoy riding my scooter somewhere on the Eastern Shore or hanging out on a boat in Rehoboth Bay. I still really love to travel and spend way too much time planning for future trips. ff
Visit us on the Web at www.navyband.navy.mil www.facebook.com/usnavyband www.twitter.com/usnavyband to comment on this issue of fanfare, e-mail us at navyband.comments@navy.mil