The U.S. Army Band will perform Peter I. Tchaikovsky’s Overture "1812" on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument Grounds. If you are not able to attend in person, you may still watch the performance LIVE-Streaming this year at: http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/1878
Each year The United States Army Band performs its big summer concert that concludes with the spirited Tchaikovsky’s "Overture 1812" on the slope of the Washington Monument Grounds, complete with the cannons of The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Presidential Salute Battery. A favorite among Washingtonians, the annual must-see musical extravaganza offers an enjoyable musical program of traditional band music with vocal highlights and Herald Trumpet fanfare. The concert features classical, popular, and patriotic music for audiences of all ages.
This free performance will be held at the Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds between 15th Street and Independence Avenue. No tickets are required for this event. The closest metro stop to the location is the Smithsonian station on the Orange and Blue Metro lines.
The concert ends in grand fashion thanks to the Presidential Salute Battery, equipped with four three-inch, 5,775-pound, World War II vintage anti-tank guns, will fire 75mm blank shells with one-and-a-half pounds of gunpowder. A total of 23 shots will be fired, including the final volley from all four cannons.
"Overture 1812" was composed for the 1880 Kremlin Square celebration honoring the Russian victory over the French Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812. Today the overture is revered among concert goers from its playful, mocking themes from the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, to the powerful finale with ringing church bells and booming cannons proclaiming victory!
This performance is a highlight of the Washington, DC, outdoor music season. Come early and bring a blanket/lawn chairs and a picnic and enjoy the sights and sounds as The U.S. Army Band and the Presidential Salute Battery light up the night (alcoholic beverages are not permitted).
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