The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

. It is the Air Force's premier musical organization and is based at

Bolling Air Force Base Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its beginning, the installation has hosted el ...

, Washington, D.C.. Within the band there are six performing ensembles: #The Concert Band #Singing Sergeants # Airmen of Note #Air Force Strings #Ceremonial Brass #Max Impact Collectively, these musical groups perform a wide spectrum of styles, including classical,

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, patriotic and ceremonial music. The mission of the Band is to deliver musical products that inspire emotions, create positive impressions and communicate information according to Air Force objectives for the defense of

the United States of America 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 territori ...

. The Band is part of the United States Air Force Bands Program, which consists of 8 active-duty stateside bands 2 overseas active-duty band locations and 5 Air National Guard bands.

Formation and early history

The United States Air Force Band is the youngest of the military bands based in Washington, D.C. Its military life began on 24 September 1941, with the formation of the Bolling Army Air Forces Band under the sponsorship of Lieutenant L.P. Holcomb, commanding officer of the Air Base Group at Bolling Field. Alf Heiberg served as the Band's first commander and led the group from 1941 to 1944. The first ensemble consisted only of four players, but by the end of 1942 expanded to a total of 100 musicians. The group began to travel throughout the United States, performing at fairs and athletic events. To identify band members in uniform, Heiberg designed a cap emblem using the pilots' wings with a superimposed musical lyre. This symbol has remained the emblem of The United States Air Force Band throughout its history. In 1944, George S. Howard was named Commander and Conductor, a position he held for 20 years. Late in 1944, he took the Band on its first international tour; the group performed in England and France while the Royal Air Force Band toured the United States. This was the first tour for The Army Air Forces Band that included sites outside continental

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, all but five of the band members left for civilian life. However, because of the program's success during the war, Howard was asked to remain in command of the Band and was charged with reorganizing it to serve in peacetime functions. He immediately embarked on a recruiting program to return the group to its original size, and the total manpower strength was increased to 115. The Symphony Orchestra was instituted during this reorganization and was the first group of its kind in any military band organization. The Symphony Orchestra ultimately supplied players not only for the Strolling Strings (now known as The Air Force Strings) but for the Concert Band, which, under Howard's direction, included cellists. The Band truly became The United States Air Force Band in 1947 when the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

were officially designated as the

. All units of the organization assumed the official "Air Force" title.

WAF Band

In January 1951, Howard organized the 543rd Air Force Band made up of 19 female airmen from the Women in the Air Force (WAF) program. He expanded this group to some 50 members and in June 1955, in Air Force Regulation 190-21, they were officially designated "United States WAF Band", acknowledging their ''de facto'' status as USAF representatives rather than their original status as a simple base band. Their official mission became to "assist, within their capabilities, in promoting Air Force objectives and enhancing the prestige of the Air Force and the United States." This meant there were now ''two'' bands serving as ambassadors of the USAF: the all-male Air Force Band and the all-female WAF Band. The WAF Band was dissolved in 1961 following its commander's contravention of a directive from Howard restricting performances at civilian schools and county fairs.

Performances

Over the years, The United States Air Force Band has performed live for over 100 million people and has been broadcast via television and radio to audiences around the globe. It has embarked on 25 international concert tours, with performances in more than 50 countries and 42 world capitals. The United States Air Force Band performance schedule is coordinated by the 11th Operations Group on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, which works with the Commander of the Air Force Band and the Air Force Band Operations Office to schedule performances and ceremonies by the Band's performing ensembles. Members of the Air Force Band's support staff, including the Library, Production, Technical Support, as well as the Administration, Marketing and Outreach, and Supply offices, also work to coordinate, promote, and facilitate performances throughout the year. The United States Air Force Band took part in both the 2012 and 2017

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s, each parade appearance honoring a major anniversary since the foundation of the Air Force. Performances by The United States Air Force Band include: * Public concerts in the Washington, D.C., area and across the nation during their annual Fall and Spring Concert Tours * Washington, D.C., area military and patriotic ceremonies * Full and Standard Honors Funerals at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

* Summer concerts at the

Air Force Memorial Air Force Memorial may refer to: * United States Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia * Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, England * Royal Air Force Memorial (Albany, Georgia) * Royal Australian Air Force Memorial, Canberra The Royal Austra ...

* Airmen of Note Jazz Heritage Series concerts in the Fall * Annual Holiday concert and Guest Artist Series concerts at D.A.R.

Constitution Hall DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall located at 1776 D Street NW, near the White House in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Me ...

in Washington, D.C., and at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va. A schedule of concerts is available on th
Air Force Band website

Ensembles

The United States Air Force Concert Band

'The United States Air Force Concert Band' is the largest ensemble of the Air Force Band. This symphonic wind ensemble presents over 100 concerts annually and performs a wide variety of repertoire from light classics, popular favorites and instrumental features, to classical transcriptions and original works for the band idiom. The Concert Band performs regularly for the general public in the greater Washington, D.C., area and on biannual community relations tours throughout the United States. It has been a featured ensemble at gatherings of professional musical organizations, including the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

, National Band Association, World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference and The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

The Singing Sergeants

'The Singing Sergeants' is the official chorus of the United States Air Force. It was formed in 1945 from members of The United States Air Force Concert Band, but is now composed entirely of professional vocalists who have been appointed by audition. The Singing Sergeants have appeared before every chief executive of the United States since President Truman. The group has performed for functions at the White House, State Department, Supreme Court, Congressional, Department of Defense. The chorus tours the nation twice yearly with the Concert Band and has performed at the New York World's Fair, in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It has also been featured at national and regional gatherings of the American Choral Directors Association and Music Educators National Conference.

The Airmen of Note

The 'Airmen of Note' is the jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band, the Note adopted a more contemporary style under the direction of Sammy Nestico. Beginning in the '70s, Senior Master Sgt. Mike Crotty was the Note's chief arranger for more than 25 years. Master Sgt. Alan Baylock is the Note's current chief arranger. To augment its writing staff, the Airmen of Note has commissioned works by such arrangers as

Bob Florence Bob Florence (May 20, 1932 – May 15, 2008) was an American pianist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Career A child prodigy, Florence began piano lessons before he was five years old and at seven gave his first recital. Although hi ...

and

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inter ...

. Sammy Nestico and fellow Note alumnus Tommy Newsom have each composed works for the group as well.

The Air Force Strings

The 'Air Force Strings' is composed of 22 musicians who perform in a variety of musical settings, including a strolling formation known as the Strolling Strings, a traditional string orchestra and combined with members of the Concert Band to form a small symphony orchestra. Its members appear regularly as soloists, and in duo, trio and string quartet ensembles, to present chamber concert performances, and provide entertainment and ambient music for official protocol functions. The Air Force Strings performs at the White House, at official dinners hosted by the secretaries of state and defense, on Capitol Hill for members of Congress, and at official diplomatic events hosted by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

The Ceremonial Brass

The 'Ceremonial Brass'. Brass music has played an important role in public gatherings and ceremonies for hundreds of years and military leaders have often chosen brass bands to perform signals, alarms, and other outdoor ceremonial and concert music. The Ceremonial Brass continues this tradition by providing musical support for state arrivals at the White House, full honor arrivals for foreign dignitaries at the Pentagon, retirements, changes of command, awards ceremonies, patriotic programs and funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. The group performs more than 300 ensemble and 300 solo performances per year. It represented the United States Air Force at the 50th anniversary of V.E. Day celebration in Moscow, as well as in

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

ceremonies in the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Additionally, the Ceremonial Brass has made numerous appearances on radio and national television, including Fourth of July performances on NBC's Today Show.

Max Impact

'Max Impact' is the premier rock band of the United States Air Force consisting of two vocalists and supported by a four-piece rhythm section. They perform classic and current rock and country hits, as well as patriotic songs. Original Max Impact songs are also regularly featured. In addition to performances in the United States, Max Impact has deployed to the

U.S. Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...

area of responsibility in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

and

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Personnel

Leaders