101st Army Band Provides Patriotic Soundtrack For Fireworks
DENVER (CBS4) - The 101st Army Band is a unit of the Colorado National Guard and the U.S. Army. Their mission to take the music to the masses.
Its Concert Band will perform on Independence Eve at Civic Center Park. It's the largest ensemble in the band.
"It's important because we have opportunity to tell the story of the Colorado National Guard," said Sgt. David Morrill, the operations chief for the band. "To honor our fellow citizens who have served, to stir up support for what we do, support for military service, and really bridge that gap between soldier life, how soldiers live, and the citizens that they serve."
At a recent program in Colorado Springs the band played a quieter program focused on thanking those who have served, but on Independence Eve expect them to crank up the tempo. The tunes will be favorites from Sousa to Tchaikovsky.
"They can expect to hear wonderful music," Morrill said. "The primary thing we do is play wonderful music. They can expect to feel proud of their country, proud of the military, proud of their family members and their neighbors who have served and to be entertained."
It's that music that provides the orchestral fireworks for the real fireworks in the background.
"We will be playing rousing, patriotic literature, some old favorites, some standards, perhaps some things they haven't heard before," said Morrill. "We have a few pieces in the set list that aren't part of standard Fourth of July repertoire or in this case, Third of July repertoire; and of course we get to play the fireworks show which is always an exciting thing for a concert band to get to do."
LINK: Independence Eve Section
Raetta Holdman is a veteran newscast producer. She's been with CBS4 for more than 25 years, coordinating events -- large and small -- from the control room. Contact her by clicking here.
