Two free concerts

WHO: Franklin County Chamber of Commerce hosts The USAF Liberty Band

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8

WHERE: Mt. Blue High School – Farmington

PLEASE NOTE: This concert is free however, you must present a ticket at the door to guarantee seating. Tickets available at Key Bank, Wilton; the chamber office, 407 Wilton Road, Farmington; Mickey’s Hallmark, downtown Farmington; Camden National Bank, Kingfield; and the Strong Town Office

The Farmington Emblem Club No. 460 will kick off the evening concert with a flag-folding ceremony.

WHO: L/Arts

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10

WHERE: Lewiston Middle School auditorium

PLEASE NOTE: Ticketholders must be seated by 6:30 p.m. to guarantee their seats. Any remaining seats will be offered to non-ticketholders. Reserve by calling L/A Arts at 782-7228. No online tickets available for this show.

Saluting myriad sounds Broadway show tunes, rock ‘n’ roll, movie melodies, country, jazz, latin music, swing – and, of course, marches
USAF Band of Liberty will perform, courtesy of Franklin chamber and L/A Arts

Music has played an integral role in military history throughout the centuries. Whether to keep marching time, to lift morale or to inspire patriotism, music belongs to the soldier. The United States Air Force Band of Liberty combines discipline and artistry to produce a fine-tuned sound that appeals to the civilian who can appreciate quality musicianship.

While the U.S. Air Force celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the USAF Band of Liberty will share the branch’s proud tradition with a weeklong concert band tour throughout Maine. As part of the celebration, the Concert Band recently recorded “On Silver Wings – Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force.”

If the USAF Band of Liberty’s name invokes images of John Phillip Souza and Glenn Miller, it should. If the idea of a concert band elicits refrains of Mozart and Rachmaninoff, it should.

Comprised of about 40 instruments, the concert band includes in its repertoire compositions ranging from classical to show tunes, said Staff Sgt. Richard Hobson, clarinetist and band tour manager.

“We attract many families,” he said, noting, “Our entire organization has about as many performances as there are days in the year.”

The USAF Band of Liberty, known for its combination of musicianship and showmanship, includes the Concert Band, the Liberty Big Band, the Afterburner pop music group, the Ceremonial/Marching Band, the Colonial Brass, the New England Winds woodwind quintet and the Bay State Winds clarinet quartet. As the organization’s flagship ensemble, the Concert Band strives to highlight America’s diverse musical and cultural heritage.

Known originally as the 541st Air Force Band of the Southwest, stationed in Arizona, the Band of Liberty relocated to New Hampshire in 1978. The band landed at its current home at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts in 1991 and received a new name.

Members of the band are musicians first who choose to become soldiers. Nearly all the members hold a degree in music and must audition to perform in the band, and conductor Senior Master Sgt. Bill Drury serves as a faculty member for the New England conservatory of Music.

“Once selected, they go through basic training, and the rest is history,” said Hobson. “They enter the band at a professional level.”

All the members are enlisted as active duty personnel and support the mission of the U.S. Air Force, Hobson said.

The Concert Band provided musical support for the funeral of Gerald Ford, and Afterburner members have performed with headliners such as Lee Ann Womack, Ben Vereen, Rita Moreno and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, according to the organization’s Web site.