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A cello in a Concert Band?

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Marc Dinitz
Washington D.C. --  "Cello...in a concert band?" That was the first question that came to mind for Technical Sgt. Edward Prevost as he decided to audition for a position with The U.S. Air Force Band in the Spring of 2012. Even after winning the audition, "I still didn't fully understand what I was getting into," he says.

Prevost, a native of Manassas, Va., is now the principal cellist with the Concert Band. While attending Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Prevost was accepted to the National Symphony Orchestra's Youth Fellowship Program. In this prestigious program, young musicians are afforded the opportunity to take part in joint rehearsals with the symphony and study with members of the orchestra. One of Prevost's principal teachers, cellist Loran Stephenson, is an NSO member.

Following high school, Prevost continued his cello studies at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore, earning a Bachelor of Music Performance degree in 2008. He then traveled to Bloomington, Ind., where in 2012 he earned a Music Performance diploma from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and studied with Eric Kim, former principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony. Prior to joining the U.S. Air Force, Prevost was the principal cellist of the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra.

As one of only two cellos in the Concert Band, Prevost continues a U. S. Air Force Band tradition started by Colonel George S. Howard, commander and conductor of the Band from 1944-1963. Howard, who wanted to bring the warm, rich cello sound to his concert band, added four cellos to the ensemble. In today's group, Prevost is often called upon to play the cello solos in orchestral transcriptions, which is a unique feature of the Concert Band. "Normally, the euphoniums would cover the cello solos in a concert band orchestral transcription," says Prevost.

Before Prevost auditioned for The U.S. Air Force Band, he was not aware of the long history of cellos in the group, leading to his confusion about what this position entailed. Now, however, he is tasked with keeping this unique position alive, and using his extensive talents to preserve this tradition, displaying Air Force excellence with each and every performance.