Air Force Band of Flight, Dayton Philharmonic Patriot Day concert tickets available Aug. 11

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Wendy Harvey
  • United States Air Force Band of Flight Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Tickets will be available starting Aug. 11 for the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra's joint concert in honor of Patriot Day in September.

This free concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Patriot Day is observed annually nationwide in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

Though a free event, tickets are required and will be available through the museum's Special Events Office beginning at 9 a.m. on Aug. 11. The office can be reached at (937) 255-5924.

This concert is the fifth collaboration between the two professional musical organizations in seven years. The partnership began in 2003 with a concert at Dayton's Schuster Performing Arts Center in celebration of the Air Force's Centennial of Flight.

Air Force Band of Flight deputy commander 2nd Lt. Daniel W. Boothe said "the concert will journey from a singular, introspective view on the significance of Sept. 11 to the broader, optimistic, and patriotic vision that has not only guided us through adversity, but will lead us toward triumph and prosperity."

Early in the program, the combined groups will perform a musical commemoration that includes a work by contemporary composer Robert Wendel. Mr. Wendel's "Towers of Light" was inspired by the annual light tribute at New York's ground zero.

The segment will also include the song, "The Bell of Freedom." The lyrics to this patriotic song were written in one week by New York native Niel DePonte in honor of the first responders who lost their lives in the attacks at the Twin Towers. The valor displayed by the countless police, fire, medical and ordinary citizens is depicted throughout the song's lyrics.

Maestro Neal Gittleman, Dayton Philharmonic music director, will conduct "Liberty for All" by James Beckel Jr. "Liberty for All" is a work for orchestra with narration taken from speeches by United States leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

The program will also include works by noted composers John Williams and Aaron Copland, as well as music featuring the Band of Flight vocalists, including Staff Sgt. Terra Mason who will perform a rendition of "Defying Gravity."

The concert is presented by Booz Allen Hamilton and sponsored by Dayton Aerospace and Butt Construction Company.

For more information about upcoming performances by the United States Air Force Band of Flight and to sign up to receive the band's electronic newsletter, visit www.bandofflight.af.mil. The band also has a page on Facebook.