FORT BRAGG (Aug. 27, 2011) - The Army Forces Command band's Woodwind Quintet found itself under the direction of an unexpected guest conductor during the WWQ's performance at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County on Aug. 26.
Waste Management Inc.'s robot Cycler led the ensemble in an arrangement of the "Humming Chorus" from Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. And without any rehearsal!
"It took us a bit by surprise," admits Staff Sgt. Darren Siegerdt, the Woodwind Quintet's clarinetist. "It was certainly the first time we'd ever experienced having a robot come up and start talking with us. At first, it just wanted to dance, but then it started conducting, too. But we've been trained to adapt and carry on with the mission, which we did. And it was fun."
The occasion was the opening of the council's latest exhibition "Recycle! It's Second Nature," which features artwork created using one or more recyclable materials. This community-wide exhibition is presented by the City of Fayetteville's Environmental Services Department and supported by Waste Management and Pratt Industries.
It has been a busy week for the entire Army Ground Forces Band with the marching band playing for the 82nd Airborne Division monthly retirement ceremony (Aug. 25) and the 8th Military Information Support Group (MISG) Activation Ceremony (Aug. 26); the Brass Ensemble for the open house at Fort Bragg's Albritton Middle School (Aug. 23) and for the FORSCOM Command Surgeon Brian C. Lein's promotion to brigadier general (Aug. 26); a bugler for a full honors funeral in Casar, N.C. (Aug. 21); and the Jazz Combo at the Annual Special Agent Training dining-in in Pinehurst, N.C. (Aug. 27).
The Army Ground Forces Band and its various ensembles, or Music Performance Teams, travel the nation, performing at local, regional and national events. The band also conducts master classes and clinics for music students at high schools and colleges around the country.
The 64 Soldiers assigned to the band have passed highly selective auditions and are among the finest musicians in the United States Army Band Program. The majority of the band's members have studied music at leading universities and conservatories.
In addition to being highly trained professional musicians, members of The Army Ground Forces Band maintain all basic Soldier skills (e.g., physical fitness, marksmanship, first aid) to the standards demanded by the U.S. Army for all its Soldiers.
The Army Ground Forces Band (www.forscom.army.mil/band) moved here this summer with FORSCOM, its parent unit, because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation.
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