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Academy Band Tour Concludes in Beautiful Bass Hall

  • Published
  • By MSgt Steven M. Przyzycki
  • The USAF Academy Band
Fort Worth, TX --  Your United States Air Force Academy Band's "American Portraits" tour concluded here tonight in this breathtakingly beautiful hall. It was a very fitting venue for what has been a magnificent tour. The trip has been invaluable as a public relations tool as the band has told the Air Force story to thousands of concert patrons throughout Texas, and has exemplified the excellence found at our United States Air Force Academy.

Behind every successful mission of the U.S. Air Force is first and foremost the tenet of teamwork. The band's success on this tour was no exception. Tour Manager Master Sergeant Noelle Little began work on the tour months ago, lining up sponsors, venues and advertising with fellow Tour Manager Technical Sergeant Sarah Stewart. Master Sergeant Claudia Weir secured media hits with local radio and television. Technical Sergeant Nancy Poffenbarger worked with students in support of the band's Educational Outreach Program. Non Commissioned Officers in Charge Master Sergeants Cheryl Sizer and Tim Allums handled logistics while Senior Master Sergeant Larry Hill produced each show. The band's Public Affairs shop made programs and posters, the Audio Department secured outstanding sound quality, the load crew and set up team moved equipment, and the Transportation Department got the band safely from placed to place. All of this was in addition to the team effort displayed musically on stage each night by every member of the band. This type of collaboration can be found throughout your United States Air Force.

Once again, the band's Educational Outreach Program spotlighted students from local high schools in Fort Worth. Students selected to perform with the band on John Philip Sousa's "Daughters of Texas" march were Ivan Duran from Carter Riverside High School, Janice Baugh from Western Hills High School, and Amanda Arismendy, Kathryn Estes, Aveion Walker, Trevor Cabellero, Eric Horsley, Jackson Duke, Joseph Vranas, Daniel Lopez, Matt Smith, Daniel Ramos, Scott Vanderbilt, and Deion Lewis all from Southwest High School.

The soloists on this tour were phenomenal - Master Sergeant Karl Bradley on euphonium, Senior Master Sergeant Steve Kindermann and Master Sergeant Tim Allums on trumpet, and Technical Sergeants Nancy Poffenbarger and Crissy Saalborn on voice.

Guest conducting the band on the classic "Molly on the Shore" by Percy Grainger was the former Air Force Chief of Bands Ray Toler. Introducing the band and hosts for the evening were the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy Lieutenant General Mike Gould and his wife Paula Gould.

This was an exceptional tour for the band. Honoring our veterans and active duty men and women is something we take very seriously-it is a huge responsibility. Through teamwork we are able to tell the Air Force story. We will continue our unwavering support of our United States Air Force in all of our concerts, and we will always remember that a soldier is never gone unless he or she is forgotten, for it is the memory of his or her service to our country that will remain in our hearts and minds forever. May God bless all of you and may God bless America.