US Army Europe Band and Chorus perform on Red Square in Moscow

The

United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

Band and Chorus a musical component of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, composed of army musicians who serve under the USAREUR. It is currently based in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

city of

Sembach Sembach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It forms part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Enkenbach-Alsenborn. The town is nestled in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park between Kaiser ...

, being subordinated to the Headquarters Battalion, USAREUR, in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

. Its components include a 100+ concert and ceremonial ensemble. It is currently under the musical command of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Randall S. Bartel. The band members enter the band as musicians while singers are selectively chosen through Army auditions. The combined band and

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

perform in 200+ events per year all over the

European continent Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the eas ...

Brief History

The USAREUR Band dates back to December 1940, when the unit was first constituted on the 16th of that month. It was raised as the 367th Infantry Band. It was officially activated on March 25, 1941 in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and was re-designated in June of the next year as the 364th Infantry Band. It was reorganized again twice in the following three years, lastly as the 448th Army Band which was deactivated in early 1947. The band was re-established on June 25, 1949 in

Mannheim, Germany Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

as the 33rd Army Band under the command of USAREUR. It moved to the headquarters of USAREUR (

) in 1952, where it was given its current name. Its original purpose was to support USAREUR and represent the

in the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO). On 27 October 1981, the band and Soldiers' Chorus were combined under the direction US Army Europe Public Affairs Office and have since performed together as a single unit.

Notable performances

Band Command Team

* Band Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Scott S. McKenzie * Band Executive Officer:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Jackell R. Smalls *

First Sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

: First Sergeant Yevgeniy A. Levin

Structure

* Band Command Team * Musical Performance Teams ** Concert Band ** Ceremonial Band ** Marching Band ** Soldiers' Chorus ** Dixieland Band ** Jazz Combo ** Woodwind Quintet ** Brass Quintet

Concert Band

USAREUR Band CDR and Her Majesty The Queen

The

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...

specializes in the playing of classical music during indoor performances. It is currently the largest ensemble in the USAREUR Band, employing 60 musicians. To date, the concert band performs at local concert halls, municipal centers, and theatres all over the continent.

Ceremonial Band

The Ceremonial Band supports the United States Army Europe in ceremonial settings and events which can include

Change of command A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to ...

memorial service A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

military parades A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the world. Mass ...

, and other stationary outdoor events. The 30 member unit is notable for representing the USAREUR and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between th ...

and

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

celebrations that are observed by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

nations.

Soldiers' Chorus

The Soldiers' Chorus is the flagship ensemble of the USAREUR Band. It was founded on April 24, 1967 as the 7th Army Soldiers Chorus originally being assigned to the office of the Adjutant General's office at USAREUR HQ. The group is composed of vocalists who perform music which ranges from

Pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

music. Their main purpose is to entertain American troops, alongside perform for diplomatic guests.

Dixieland Band

The

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

Band consists of 6 musicians who perform traditionally popular American songs from a specific time period in the United States.

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial Youtube ChannelU.S Army Europe Band and Chorus
{{Authority control Bands of the United States Army United States military in Germany Military units and formations established in 1940 Military bands located outside their country of origin