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• U.S. Air Force Concert Band set to perform tonight in River Falls

The 46-member U.S. Air Force Concert Band of Mid-America will perform a free concert at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the River Falls High School auditorium.

Tickets are free and required, and are available for pick up at the River Falls Journal office, 2815 Prairie Drive, and Quizno's Subs, 303 S. Main St. The Journal office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Tickets can also be obtained by sending a request with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: The Journal/P. O. Box 25/River Falls/WI/50422.

The band is a diverse ensemble whose repertoire ranges from symphonic band masterworks, to traditional marches, to pops and jazz.

The concert will include several military marches including a suite by Gustav Holst along with "Hymn to the Fallen" by John Williams and "Armed Forces Medley" by Robert Clay.

Sgt. Dean Smith will sing the Lee Greenwood favorite "God Bless the USA."

The group is under the direction of Major Daniel L. Price, a 12-year veteran. Major Price took command of the US Air Force Band of Mid-America in July 2008 following five years as leader of the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia.

Price, U.S. Air Force Band Officer of the Year in 2005, led the U.S. Air Force team in the International Marching Festival at the Tokyo Budokan in 2003 and 2005.

The ensemble primarily performs free civic outreach and recruiting concerts for audiences throughout the Midwest, playing more than 100 engagements each year. The band has also performed in New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, the Gulf Coast, Germany, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Barbados, Grenada, Guatemala, Venezuela, Bolivia, and the Azores.

The Concert Band is based at Scott AFB, outside St. Louis. Its visit to River Falls is part of an upper Midwest tour that includes stops in Eau Claire, Rice Lake and La Crosse.

The band is often called upon to provide musical support for visiting dignitaries, and has performed for Pope John Paul II, Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter, the Queen of the Netherlands, and hundreds of other U.S. and foreign leaders.

For more information about the band, go to www.bandofmidamerica.af.mil/.