FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 16, 2011) The U.S. Army Forces Command's own Army Ground Forces Band and the Fayetteville Symphonic Band wowed an audience of almost 1,000 with a rousing evening of entertainment during their first ever joint Holiday Concert at Reeves Auditorium on the Methodist University campus, Dec. 15.
The evening began with the AGFB Quintessential Winds and an FSB brass ensemble performing pre-concert music.
The actual concert was kicked off with the AGFB and FSB brass ensembles playing alternately Canzona Primi Toni.
That was followed by welcoming remarks by the event's co-hosts Dr. Ben Hancock, president of Methodist University, and Gen. David M Rodriguez, the FORSCOM commander.
The Fayetteville Symphonic Band then carried the concert to the intermission.
The AGFB's Brass Brigade opened the second half of the show with some rap-infused holiday tunes.
The full AGFB concert band then offered up a series of popular tunes of the season that included vocal performances by Staff Sgt. Stanmore Hinds, Staff Sgt. Matthew Tanner and Sgt. Shirley Dirden.
The AGFB's Dixie Band kept things lively as the FSB returned to the stage to join the AGFB in playing Alfred Reed's Russian Christmas, accompanying a sing-a-long and wrapping the evening up with a rollicking encore Sleigh Ride.
Based at Fort Bragg, N.C., the 64-member Army Ground Forces Band and its various ensembles perform about 300 concerts a year at local, regional and national events and hold master classes and clinics at high schools and colleges around the country. Soldiers assigned to the band have passed highly selective auditions and are among the finest musicians in the Army Band Program.
FORSCOM, the band's parent unit, is the Army's largest command. It prepares conventional forces to provide a sustained flow of trained and ready land power to Combatant Commanders in defense of the Nation at home and abroad.
The Fayetteville Symphonic Band consists of approximately 70 members. Fifty percent of the band is made up of Methodist University students, and the other half includes professionals, educators and students from the Cape Fear region. In its current form, FSB has existed since 2006. It annually performs four concerts, as well as for graduation ceremonies at the university. Additionally, FSB has both brass and woodwind ensembles.
Methodist University is an independent four-year institution of higher education with over 2,400 students from 41 states and 53 countries. Methodist University offers over 70 majors and concentrations, three master's degree programs, and 19 NCAA III intercollegiate sports.
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