Composer and conductor Brian Dix, a former director of the U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, in Washington, D.C., has posted advice at the Association of California Orchestras website for how symphony orchestras can best craft Veterans Day programs. He suggests opening with the “The Star Spangled Banner” and closing with the Armed Forces Service Song Medley, and says that playing Taps is not required for Veterans Day. He writes that many veterans “gleefully embrace such works as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Richard Rogers’ Victory at Sea, Michael Kaman’s theme from Band of Brothers, and Elmer Bernstein’s Magnificent 7.” Dix notes that a Veterans Day concert does not have to be on November 11, and that “presenting this musical celebration at any point in a concert season will fill your halls with an appreciative audience, creating an unforgettable gathering of those local ranks who wore this nation’s cloth.” Click here to read the complete post.
Posted November 12, 2018
