The United States Marine Band will perform at Delta College on Thursday, Oct. 17, giving local residents a rare chance to enjoy America’s oldest continuously active professional music organization.
The performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Atherton Auditorium. Delta College is at 5151 Pacific Ave., Stockton.
Free tickets (limit four per request) are now available. To reserve tickets call (209) 954-5110 or stop by the Delta College Box Office directly across from the auditorium.
Founded in 1798, the U.S. Marine Band first performed in Stockton in 1892. The band’s last appearance here was in 2009.
In the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891, Marine Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig has chosen a diverse mix of programs, from traditional band repertoire and Sousa marches to instrumental solos and a salute to the Armed Forces.
“We always try to highlight music on our programs that celebrates the region we are visiting, whether it be marches that provide a connection or folk music that might be associated with certain areas of the country,” Col. Fettig said. “We have tremendously appreciative patrons who come to Marine Band concerts for all types of different experiences, so our programs are designed to include a great variety of music that mirrors the wonderful diversity in our national musical heritage.”
After Sousa left the Marine Band in 1892, “The President’s Own” band made only five tours – 1901, 1907, 1911, 1912, and 1915 – before traveling yearly between 1920 and 1931. The band suspended its tours during the Depression years of 1932-1934, but took to the road again in 1935 and continued until 1942. During World War II, the band played many additional performances in Washington, D.C., and at the White House to boost wartime morale. The Marine Band’s national concert tours resumed in 1946 and have continued every year since.
The upcoming October tour includes 28 concerts in five western states.
Tickets for the concert are valid only until 7:15 p.m. the night of the performance. After that, open seating will commence. Large bags will not be permitted.
For more on the band, visit marineband.marines.mil.
