"The President's Own" Marine Band to perform at Hill Auditorium

October 2008

As part of its 2008 national concert tour, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band will perform at Hill Auditorium, on Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30 p.m.  The concert, sponsored by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is free and open to the public.

Patrons may reserve tickets (limit four per request) by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: League Ticket Office, 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.   Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m.; non-ticket holders will be admitted at that time.

In the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891, Marine Band Director Colonel Michael J. Colburn has chosen a diverse mix of programs¾from traditional band repertoire and marches to instrumental solos. “This cross section of instrumentalists will feature some of the most experienced members of the organization as well as newer members of the band,” Col. Colburn said. Programs are rotated throughout the tour to accommodate different concert venues. As the programs rotate, so will the soloists.

By late October, the Marine Band will have performed a total of 29 concerts in 31 days on its tour. This year’s route takes the band through western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The Marine Band is America’s oldest professional musical organization. Founded in 1798, the band has performed for every U.S. President since John Adams. Given the title “The President’s Own” by Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band’s primary mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Tickets to this event are SOLD OUT.  A wait list will begin at the Hill Auditorium Box Office at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22.