West Point Band

"A Celebration of Service" - The West Point Band and Cadet Glee Club from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, will perform at Trinity Church, Wall Street, at 2 p.m. on 11 SEP 2016. The Band will premiere 15 one minute pieces created by composers who were responding to the theme “service” and what it means to all different kinds of people - such as military, first responders, community service, and everyday kindness. Americana works and the Armed Forces Medley will stir the patriotic soul of all those in attendance.

The West Point Band is the Army’s oldest musical organization and continues to provide world-class music to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets and to serve as ambassadors of the United States Military Academy and the Army to local, national, and international communities. Its innovative programs and performances are enjoyed across the globe through regular television, radio, and recordings. The West Point Band traces its lineage back to a single drummer and fifer left to maintain the tradition of military music at West Point after the Revolutionary War. Over the next 200 years, the band evolved into one of the most capable and versatile professional performing groups in the world.

The West Point Band is the Army’s oldest musical organization and continues to provide world-class music to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets and to serve as ambassadors of the United States Military Academy and the Army to local, national, and international communities. Its innovative programs and performances are enjoyed across the globe through regular television, radio, and recordings. The West Point Band traces its lineage back to a single drummer and fifer left to maintain the tradition of military music at West Point after the Revolutionary War. Over the next 200 years, the band evolved into one of the most capable and versatile professional performing groups in the world.

Many band members hold graduate degrees from the world’s finest music schools and all have earned substantial professional musical achievements prior to serving their country as professional musicians. The organization fulfills more than 1600 official missions annually, including military and patriotic ceremonies, public concerts, parades, professional and collegiate sporting events, internet, radio and television broadcasts, and numerous ceremonies and special events for the Corps of Cadets, the West Point community, New York City, and the broader area of the northeastern United States.

As the senior premier musical representative of the United States Army, the band has appeared at numerous historical events. It performed at dedication and rededication ceremonies of the Erie Canal; at the St. Louis, Chicago and New York World’s Fairs; Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty, and at the battlefield at Gettysburg; for the funerals of Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as the inaugurations of numerous presidents. Additionally, the West Point Band has collaborated with some of the finest musical ensembles in the country, including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Pops. Members of the West Point Band have also been showcased at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center The Today Show, 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, A&E and documentaries occurring on the History and Discovery Channels, and even featured on their own national broadcast of “A West Point Holiday Show” on Fox News during the holidays in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Additionally, the band also collaborates with Columbia University, and the English and Philosophy, Geography, and History departments at West Point as dynamic teaching resources.

Concert Dates

  • September 11, 2016 - Trintiy Church, New York City

15 one-minute selections on "A Celebration of Service"

    The Uncle I Never Knew
    James Anderson
    James Anderson is a composer of acoustic and electroacoustic mediums, as well as a guitarist. He holds a Master of Music from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music from Western Washington University. His music recently has been featured in the 2016 NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute.
    The Uncle I Never Knew is dedicated to the memory of my father's brother, Jim Graham, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He later developed skin cancer and died before I was born. I am named after him, and I wrote this piece to honor his memory.
    First to Serve!
    David Avshalomov
    Composer/conductor/singer David Avshalomov writes in a neo-Romantic, modern-tonal style, with a lyric gift and rhythmic vitality. His works for choirs, voice, chamber ensembles, band, and orchestra are performed across the US and Europe, recorded on Albany and Naxos, earn multiple regional commissions and national awards. Honored Artist: American Prize 2014.
    This high-energy fanfare-march is a salute to those who jump up and rush to help when disaster or misfortune strikes. This is a special kind of service–that of the first responder. This music is heroic; the middle section hints at danger. The ending is an exuberant burst of pride.
    Rescue
    Sy Brandon
    Dr. Sy Brandon is a professor emeritus of music from Millersville University. His awards include WITF-FM's 25th Anniversary Composition Contest and Franklin and Marshall College’s Wind Ensemble Composition Contest. He is the recipient of the 2018 Thor Johnson Memorial Commission sponsored by the Delta Omicron Foundation.
    Rescue is written in honor of all military personnel and first responders involved in rescue operations. Intense sections of horror alternate with sections reflecting rescue workers scurrying to assist. The piece ends triumphantly indicating the success of the rescue operation.
    Duty Calls!
    Steve Cohen
    Steve Cohen received his training at the Manhattan, Eastman and Juilliard Schools of Music, and has composed a large catalog of symphonic, chamber, liturgical and musical-theater pieces. His choral music is published by Transcontinental Music, and his chamber works have been recorded on the Centaur and Eclectra record labels.
    “Duty Calls!” was inspired by the courage and dedication of first responders. These brave people embody the highest ideals of our society, regularly putting their lives on the line in service of humanity. They don’t wear capes or costumes, but they are real-life superheroes. This fanfare is in their honor.
    Urgency!
    Harrison J. Collins
    I am a 16 year old sophomore at Little Elm High School. I live in Little Elm, Tx (DFW Metroplex). I have been composing for about two years. I published my first piece through Grand Mesa Music in the summer of 2015.
    Urgency! is a quick piece that portrays the action of the jobs of servicemen and women. It opens with the emulated sound of sirens approaching from the distance as servicemen rush in to do their jobs. They do their job and the piece ends as quickly as it began.
    Salute
    Cindi Hsu
    “Cindi Hsu’s powerful music has incredible depth and perception into the human soul. It is poetry without words.” Her music has been performed in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Ms. Hsu resides in NYC where she is on the composition and piano faculty of Music Conservatory of Westchester.
    Having been living in America for more than two decades, “Salute” reflects my deep appreciation for this country, and for the men and women who serve to protect freedom and prosperity with their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice.
    The Torch
    Nicholas Ryan Kelly
    Nicholas Ryan Kelly (M.M., University of British Columbia) is an American-Canadian composer who draws inspiration from science, nature, and speculative fiction. Commended by the Vancouver Sun for his “sophisticated work of such immediate, glittery appeal,” he writes lush, melodic music for bands, orchestras, and choirs throughout North America.
    The Torch commemorates the service performed by scientists, reflecting on science's role as both a “torch” that illuminates our place in the universe and a “torch” passed through time, as each generation builds upon previous discoveries. The music embodies both of these roles, progressively building in both complexity and confidence.
    Responders
    George David Kieffer
    George David Kieffer is an author, composer, attorney and civic leader living in Los Angeles, Ca. Mr. Kieffer's Memorial Day composition, "Arlington," debuted with the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra in 2014. His "Fanfare for the Special Olympics" was selected as the fanfare for the Los Angeles Special Olympics,2015.
    Responders is an inspirational salute to those who answer the call for public service, whether it is service to neighbors or to our communities or to our nation, whether in war or peace. Where there is a need, they respond.
    Servants in Action - The Angels of 9/11
    Alan Kinningham
    Alan Kinningham serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Freed-Hardeman University where he teaches music theory, composition, songwriting, digital music, and orchestration. In his second career, he is a retired middle/high school band director with over thirty years experience in Tennessee public schools.
    “Servants in Action” captures the intensity of the hours the first responders experienced in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The heroism and sacrifice of life attempting to save victims is portrayed through dramatic imagery of the rhythm and mood of the music.
    Uncommon Valor
    Anthony O'Toole
    Anthony O’Toole holds a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.M. of Composition from George Mason University. He has composed more than 100 works and has written for virtually every major idiom and instrument.
    The men and women who serve their country are the protectors, caretakers, and humanitarians - the people who put others before themselves and possess a certain innate sense of duty and sacrifice. 'Uncommon Valor' portrays musically the strength in adversity and bravery under pressure that these special individuals exhibit.
    Salute
    David R. Peoples
    David Peoples enjoys writing commissions for groups ranging from orchestras to soloists. His voice combines diverse styles with a dash of the unexpected. He studied composition with Kamran Ince and Jack Cooper at the University of Memphis and currently teaches composition at the University of North Georgia.
    This piece is a metaphorical salute. It is a gesture of respect and honor for those that respond to the call to serve others. The piece begins with a dignified and bold salute, reflects on kind services rendered, and a final intense gesture of recognition.
    Valor
    James Peterson
    James Peterson was educated at the UCLA School of Music and is an adjunct faculty member at Santa Monica/Emeritus College. His concert work Moving Images Suite was featured at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. In 2016 he received a premiere by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra of his work “Americana.”
    Service, to first responders,the police, and the military requires bravery. “Valor” endeavors to embody the heroism these fine men and women exhibit daily.
    Fanfare: In the Service
    Bradley Sampson
    Bradley Sampson, 24, is an emerging composer from Provo, Utah. He is also a music educator and is involved in the marching arts. His music style combines 20th century elements with traditional harmony.
    Fanfare: In the Service is a brief tribute to the greater good that we can achieve through everyday acts of kindness. It utilizes a 12-tone row which is dissonant at first, but becomes a beautiful melody when properly supported. Dedicated to the West Point Band, May 2016.
    Call to Service
    Richard G Smith
    Richard Smith is a composer and saxophonist with degrees in composition from Berklee and the Manhattan School of Music. He studied privately with Hugo Norden, Joel Thome and Bob Brookmeyer. He has written numerous works for a variety of ensembles including: Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Big Band, String Quartet and electronics.
    The first idea that I wrote was the fanfare melody in the opening few measure. After working for a couple weeks, I realized that the first four notes were that same as notes 2-5 of Reveille. It seemed appropriate to add one more note and make it the opening call.
    Invisible to The Rest
    R. Andrew Yates
    R. Andrew Yates holds a B.A. in Music from Mid-America Nazarene University. At age 19 he was appointed Assistant Conductor of The U.M.K.C. Wind Ensemble. Written arrangements for Marilyn Maye, The Kansas City Symphony, and famed trumpeter "Doc" Severinsen. His march, West Point’s 162nd is published by TRN Music.
    Invisible to The Rest is a line taken from Walt Whitman’s “Drum-Taps”. The composer felt our brave servicemen and women are usually invisible to the citizens (the rest), but “rest” was also a noun seeking out those who serve our country. However, they are invisible to “The Rest”.