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Members perform at Annual Kennedy Center Honors events

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. William Hurd
Washington, D.C. --  December 6 and 7, 2014 were red-letter--and red carpet--days for members of the Air Force Strings and Ceremonial Brass.  Both ensembles were thrilled to support the annual Kennedy Center Honors, hosted at the Department of State and the Kennedy Center, both in Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, the Air Force Strings participated in the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors banquet at the U.S. Department of State hosted by the Secretary of State. The awards are presented annually to artists who contribute to the cultural vitality of our nation and our world.  This year's recipients were filmmaker Tom Hanks, ballerina Patricia McBride, singer-songwriter Sting, and comedienne Lily Tomlin. The evening's activities began with a musical welcome on the red carpet for the honorees as well as for numerous celebrities, members of congress, government officials and media guests. At the conclusion of the welcome, members of the Strings packed up their instruments and proceeded upstairs to the stately Benjamin Franklin room for the banquet itself. After a generous introduction by Secretary Kerry, the Strolling Strings drew from their extensive repertoire to serenade the august assembly. Particularly well received was the Strings' arrangement of Billy Joel's "Piano Man," which was arranged especially for last year's Kennedy Center Honors, at which Joel was an honoree.  The banquet performance was met with tumultuous applause as the Strings exited the banquet hall playing the Air Force Song.

On Sunday, Dec.  7, Pearl Harbor Day,  the Air Force Ceremonial Brass supported the Kennedy Center Honors Gala awards presentation at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Brass provided a ceremonial salute for the honorees.  Lt. Col. Donald Schofield led the brass in this performance, and had this to say:  "The U.S. Air Force Band's performance at the Kennedy Center Honors was a tremendous way to showcase the Air Force image to millions of broadcast viewers. It was a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best civilian entertainers in the world, and we were proud to represent all Air Force professionals to a standing room only audience at the Kennedy Center."

The Air Force Strings and Ceremonial Brass were proud to participate in the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors. The gala concert will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 30, 2014.