Joint Military Band Concert and Related Travel Postponed
The U.S. Embassy in Tallinn regrets to announce that the joint concert of the United States Army Europe Band & Chorus and the Orchestra of the Estonian Defence Forces scheduled in Narva on Friday, March 20 has been postponed to a later date to be determined in light of COVID-19. The related outreach and travel by the U.S. Army Europe Band & Chorus has similarly been postponed.
Monday, March 9, 2020
The 45-member band will break into smaller performance groups to visit schools in Tallinn on March 19, including a performance at Solaris Shopping Center at noon. On March 20, they will continue to Narva to visit more schools and a nursing home.
The United States Army Europe (USAREUR) Band & Chorus, under the command of Major Randall Bartel, is stationed in Sembach, Germany. The USAREUR Band was originally activated in 1940. The USAREUR Soldiers’ Chorus was organized in 1963 to enhance troop morale through musical performances and quickly proved successful in strengthening bonds between the American community in Europe and its host nation. Together, the USAREUR Band & Chorus is currently the Army’s fifth largest musical organization, and the Army’s musical ambassadors in Europe. The USAREUR Band & Chorus perform more than 250 missions annually, traveling thousands of miles throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to represent the United States and United States Army Europe.
The USAREUR Band is a versatile ensemble with components that include 65-piece concert and marching bands, a 35-piece ceremonial group, “USAREUR Standard” jazz combo, “Rhine River Ramblers” Dixieland band, and classical chamber ensembles. Members earn their positions by special audition and most have performed or taught professionally prior to their military service. Many musicians hold degrees in music from highly-regarded universities and conservatories. Although a few of the vocalists are full-time musicians within the USAREUR program, the Chorus chooses Soldiers through a competitive audition process. They are recruited from other specialties in the U.S. Army Europe for a two-year assignment, where they receive additional intensive training in vocal, dance, and theatrical skills. Today, the Soldiers’ Chorus is one of USAREUR’s most travelled ensembles within the Band, appearing in live and broadcast performances throughout Europe.
Estonia has hosted USAREUR Band previously in 2010 in Saaremaa, in 2014 for concerts in Narva, Sillamäe, and Tallinn, in 2017 in Tartu, and in Tallinn in 2018.
To learn more about the band, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @USAREURBand. You can find the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn on Facebook at estonia.usembassy or estonia.usembassy.rus, on Instagram at @USEmbassyTallinn, and at Twitter at @USEmbTallinn.
