“Fort Leonard Wood’s own 399th Army Band has been hard at work preparing for a joint concert with the St. Louis Symphony and U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Powell Hall in St. Louis,” writes Stephen Sandifird in Wednesday’s (5/10) U.S. military publication army.mil. “This is the first time all three musical groups will be performing on stage together, said 399th Army Band director, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Benjamin McMillan. ‘To my knowledge, no Army band has undergone a joint concert effort with a world-renowned symphony orchestra,’ he said. ‘The St. Louis Symphony is one of the premiere orchestras in the world and for an Army band to have the opportunity to share the stage with an organization of that caliber, (is) possibly a once in a lifetime type of thing.’ Plans for the joint concert began in November following a joint training opportunity with the symphony and Soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood.… Having Scott Air Force Base and their Band of Mid-America so close, it made sense to McMillan and the symphony to reach out to make this event even bigger…. The concert will feature patriotic works.”
Posted May 11, 2017
