Washington, D.C. -- In honor of the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery, The United States Air Force Band will present multiple Washington, D.C. regional premieres of composer Scott Eyerly's original work, "Arlington Sons."
On Sunday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m., The United States Air Force Band will present an afternoon of music highlighting a quartet version of Eyerly's composition at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The ensemble will include world-renowned Broadway and Metropolitan Opera star David Pittsinger and his fifteen-year-old son, Richard Pittsinger, as well as the Air Force Band's own Master Sgt. Steve Erickson on piano and cellist, Master Sgt. Joshua Kowalsky. The concert will also feature members of two chamber ensembles, the U.S. Air Force Reed Quintet and the U.S. Air Force Chamber Trio.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, The United States Air Force Orchestra, a combined ensemble featuring members from both the Concert Band and Air Force Strings, will present two performances of the orchestrated version of Eyerly's composition under the baton of commander and conductor, Col. Larry H. Lang, at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts in Bowie, Maryland. David and Richard Pittsinger will again be the featured vocal soloists. These free, non-ticketed concerts will take place at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Composer Scott Eyerly's original composition "Arlington Sons" was commissioned by and written for the father-and-son duo of David and Richard Pittsinger. The inspiration for the work goes back three generations to David Pittsinger's father, a United States Army guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. "Arlington Sons" explores the themes of patriotism and the bond between father and son as they visit historic Arlington National Cemetery. It is believed to be the very first vocal composition written exclusively for an actual father-and-son duo.
The following brief excerpt of the lyrics gives some insight into the work's subject matter:
My father served here. You would have worshiped him,
A strapping soldier, a saint in fighting trim.
None but the finest defend this Tomb,
Fearless, impeccable, steadfast,
They toil through morning's chill and midnight's gloom,
In bitterest cold with pelting sleet,
The kind when icicles find your feet,
In summer's harshest glare,
So humid you could chew the air,
In lashing rains,
In hurricanes,
He didn't care:
It was his honor, to honor those who sacrificed for us.
American bass-baritone David Pittsinger has appeared on the world's leading opera and concert stages from Vienna to Salzburg, Brussels and Paris, to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He made his Broadway debut in the Lincoln Center Theater's revival of "South Pacific" and can be heard on the release of "Rodgers and Hammerstein At The Movies."
Richard Pittsinger, is a graduate of the esteemed Saint Thomas Choir School, the only church-related boarding choir school in the United States. In 2010, he made his operatic debut in Manuel de Falla's "El Retablo de Maese Pedro" under the baton of Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival. He was also the featured soloist in Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" for the Bernstein Festival in New York under the direction of Judith Clurman.
Arlington National Cemetery is one of five components of the Arlington National Cemetery Historical District. In addition to the cemetery, the historic district also includes Arlington House, Memorial Drive, the ceremonial gate to the cemetery known as the Hemicycle and Arlington Memorial Bridge. Arlington National Cemetery was initially established during the United States Civil War on the grounds of the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The first military burial to take place there occurred on May 13, 1864.
For additional information regarding these upcoming performances, please call the Band's Concert Line at (202) 767-5658. The Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery is located at 1 Memorial Ave., Arlington, Virginia 22211. The Bowie Center for the Performing Arts is located at 15200 Annapolis Rd., Bowie Maryland 20715.