The United States Air Force Band of the West will be making several stops around the Valley, January 26 through 30.
Admission to the concerts is free. A maximum of four tickets will be given to any individual coming to pick them up.
Saturday, January 26, the concert band will perform at the Jacob Brown Auditorium at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc, 650 FM 802 in Brownsville. For information call (956) 546-3721.
Sunday, January 28, the concert band will perform at the Radisson Resort Auditorium in South Padre Island at 6 p.m. Tickets will be available at the South Padre Island Convention Centre, 7355 Padre Island Boulevard. For information call 1-800-SO PADRE.
The Air Force Band of the West will perform January 28 at the La Joya Fine Arts Performing Center at 7 p.m. The concert is free but tickets are limited and will be given out at the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce, 220 E. 9th Street, on January 22.
Arlene Rivera, CEO of the Mission Chamber said the auditorium only seats 1,500 people and tickets were gone in two hours last year. Anyone wanting to get tickets should arrive early.
Tuesday, January 29, two concerts will be held at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium Box Office, 1204 Fair Park Blvd. For information call (956) 216-5990.
The final concert in the Rio Grande Valley series will be held at the Donna High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30. Tickets are available at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, 1200 Ash Avenue and at The Monitor, 1400 E. Nolana Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The band was created October 1, 1941 at Moffett Field, California, but moved to Enid Army Airfield soon after. With the birth of the Air Force in 1947, the band moved to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. It was deactivated in 1955 but was reactivated in 1959 under the name "Band of the West."
The band, which is comprised of 45 talented musicians that represent some of the finest universities and conservatories in the United States and abroad, travels over 125,000 miles each year and plays over 300 performances in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Louisiana for an estimated one million people.
The band is composed of ensembles such as the Concert Band, the Ceremonial Band, Dimensions in Blue jazz ensemble, and two popular music groups: Warhawk and Top Flight.
Satellite groups include Gateway Brass, Southwest Winds woodwind quintet, protocol combos, and Lone Star Ramblers Dixieland jazz band. The diversity of the band enables it to play practically any style of music.
The new commander of the Band of the West is Captain Cristina Moore Urrutia, who assumed command on September 28, 2007.
The band has performed for presidents, heads of state, and dignitaries from around the world, earning an outstanding reputation among America’s military bands.