US Army Europe Band and Chorus perform on Red Square in Moscow

The

United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

Band and Chorus a musical component of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, composed of army musicians who serve under the USAREUR. It is currently based in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

city of

Sembach Sembach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It forms part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Enkenbach-Alsenborn. The town is nestled in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park between Kaiser ...

, being subordinated to the Headquarters Battalion, USAREUR, in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

. Its components include a 100+ concert and ceremonial ensemble. It is currently under the musical command of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Randall S. Bartel. The band members enter the band as musicians while singers are selectively chosen through Army auditions. The combined band and

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

perform in 200+ events per year all over the

European continent Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

Brief History

The USAREUR Band dates back to December 1940, when the unit was first constituted on the 16th of that month. It was raised as the 367th Infantry Band. It was officially activated on March 25, 1941 in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and was re-designated in June of the next year as the 364th Infantry Band. It was reorganized again twice in the following three years, lastly as the 448th Army Band which was deactivated in early 1947. The band was re-established on June 25, 1949 in

Mannheim, Germany Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

as the 33rd Army Band under the command of USAREUR. It moved to the headquarters of USAREUR (

) in 1952, where it was given its current name. Its original purpose was to support USAREUR and represent the

in the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

(NATO). On 27 October 1981, the band and Soldiers' Chorus were combined under the direction US Army Europe Public Affairs Office and have since performed together as a single unit.

Notable performances

Band Command Team

* Band Commander:

Randall S. Bartel * Band Executive Officer:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Taylor Criswell * Assistant Bandmaster:

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

Richard Chapman * Band Sergeant Major:

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

Lori Nix

Structure

* Band Command Team * Musical Performance Teams ** Concert Band ** Ceremonial Band ** Marching Band ** Soldiers' Chorus ** Dixieland Band ** Jazz Combo ** Woodwind Quintet ** Brass Quintet

Concert Band

USAREUR Band CDR and Her Majesty The Queen

The

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

specializes in the playing of classical music during indoor performances. It is currently the largest ensemble in the USAREUR Band, employing 60 musicians. To date, the concert band performs at local concert halls, municipal centers, and theatres all over the continent.

Ceremonial Band

The Ceremonial Band supports the United States Army Europe in ceremonial settings and events which can include

Change of command A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to a ...

memorial service A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

military parades A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

, and other stationary outdoor events. The 30 member unit is notable for representing the USAREUR and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...

and

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

celebrations that are observed by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

nations.

Soldiers' Chorus

The Soldiers' Chorus is the flagship ensemble of the USAREUR Band. It was founded on April 24, 1967 as the 7th Army Soldiers Chorus originally being assigned to the office of the Adjutant General's office at USAREUR HQ. The group is composed of vocalists who perform music which ranges from

Pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

music. Their main purpose is to entertain American troops, alongside perform for diplomatic guests.

Dixieland Band

The

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

Band consists of 6 musicians who perform traditionally popular American songs from a specific time period in the United States.

References

External links

{{Commons category, U.S. Army Europe Band & Chorus
Official WebsiteOfficial Youtube ChannelU.S Army Europe Band and Chorus
Bands of the United States Army United States military in Germany Military units and formations established in 1940 Military bands located outside their country of origin