Washington, D.C. -- Vacancies within the premier military bands in Washington, D.C. are infrequent and highly competitive. When the United States Air Force Band has a trumpet vacancy, the audition process will yield about 80 candidates. These candidates travel from all over the country, hailing from Alaska to Florida, and hold degrees from the finest musical institutions in the country. With such a select group of performers, it is not unusual for band members to know one another prior to their time in service. However, two of our newest members shared unusually similar paths, both of which brought them into The United States Air Force Band.
Technical Sgt. Adrian Holton arrived at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in September 2017, after serving five years in the Air Force Academy Band, in Colorado Springs, CO. A few months later, the band welcomed Technical Sgt. Kristin Cazenave, also from the Air Force Academy Band. Both moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as members of the Ceremonial Brass.
Cazenave and Holton were no strangers to one another. Prior to their Air Force careers, they both earned a living serving as musical entertainment on cruise ships (albeit separate vessels), which allowed them to hone their commercial playing abilities. That versatility came in handy when they auditioned for the Heartland of America Band and the Air Force Academy Band, as regional bandsmen must be not only skilled performers, but also adept at performing in a variety of musical styles.
Holton and Cazenave played together for four years at the Air Force Academy Band, but their history goes back much further than that! Both attended the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, overlapping by 2 years. They took many of the same auditions, often competing against each other for a single vacancy. In 2011, both auditioned for the Heartland of America Band at Offut AFB, a position Sgt. Cazenave was offered. Not to be deterred, Holton successfully bested the competition at an audition with the Air Force Academy Band within a year, and in 2013, Cazenave also transitioned to join the same band.
Since arriving in Washington, D.C., last September, Sgt. Holton has performed in the Air Force 70th Birthday Tattoo, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, a Full Honors Arrival Ceremony for France’s Chef d’état-major des armées François Lecointre, and rendered military honors for hundreds of veterans.
Sgt. Cazenave arrived at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in late Janurary, and has already performed in the Washington, D.C., St. Patrick’s Day Parade as well as performing with the Ceremonial Brass as they honor our veterans daily at Arlington National Cemetery.
We look forward to performing with these two fantastic trumpeters for many years to come! For more information on our newest members, please visit http://www.music.af.mil/Bands/The-United-States-Air-Force-Band/Ensembles/Ceremonial-Brass/