JUNE 28, 2018 // 7
Free Symphonic Band concert
reminds us: ‘United We Stand’
COURTESY 234TH ARMY BAND
The 234th Army Band
Army bands unite for special Astoria concert
ASTORIA — “Oregon’s
Own” 234th Army Band’s
“Empire Builders” Concert
Band, in conjunction with
“Hawaii’s Own” 111th
Army Band, will perform
a free public concert at As-
toria High School, 3 p.m.
Saturday, July 7.
Chief Warrant Officers
Ashley Alexander Curtis
Hiyane conducts an excit-
ing program featuring the
music of Leonard Bern-
stein, John Williams and
Steven Reineke, as well
as vocal selections from
“Moana,” “The Greatest
Showman,” the Broadway
musical “Hamilton,” mili-
tary marches and patriotic
selections.
“Oregon’s Own” 234th
Army Band is a 40-mem-
ber unit of the Oregon
National Guard based
in Clackamas. The band
performs as a full concert
band as well as several
smaller ensembles for mili-
tary and civilian audiences
throughout Oregon and
beyond.
Organized in 1919, the
band was inducted into
federal service in 1940 and
participated in the Luzon,
New Guinea and Southern
Philippine Campaigns
during World War II, earn-
ing the Philippine Presi-
dential Unit Citation. The
band was designated the
234th Army Band in 1947.
Members of the band
hail from Oregon and
Washington and meet
several times monthly to
rehearse and complete
military training. The band
is led by Chief Warrant
Officer Ashley Alexander
and 1st Sgt. Tasha Cruz.
For more information,
or to request the 234th
Army Band for a perfor-
mance, contact SFC Josh
Yost at joshua.c.yost.mil@
mail.mil or 503-683-5423.
You can also find the
band online at facebook.
com/234tharmyband.
More Astoria-area
performances
• 3 p.m. Sunday, July
8: “General Dischord” and
“Clos du Vent,” a free pub-
lic performance, Birken-
feld Theater, Clatskanie.
• 4 p.m. Sunday, July 8:
“45 Away” and “Na Koa,”
Long Beach Summer Festi-
val, main stage at Veterans’
Park, Long Beach, Wash.
ASTORIA — Celebrate
America’s birthday with
the North Coast Symphonic
Band at a free concert at
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, in
“Astoria’s living room,”
the Liberty Theatre, 1203
Commercial St.
Conductor and musi-
cal director Dave Becker
has planned an evening of
all-American music. The
guest clarinet soloist is
Jennifer Crockett, executive
director of the Liberty, and
the vocalist for the evening
is Bob Walters of Battle
Ground, Wash.
Clatsop Post 12 of the
American Legion will pres-
ent the colors and service
flags in tribute to those who
have served their country
in the military. Jeff Daly
will present a special video
finale with drone footage
by Michael Angiletta Will
to accompany the Stars and
Stripes.
The theme of the concert
is “United We Stand.”
The first three numbers on
the program are the “Star
Spangled Banner,” “An
American Fanfare” and “A
Very American Overture.”
The program continues with
selections by American
composers such as Gersh-
win, Bernstein and Sousa.
COURTESY NORTH COAST SYMPHONIC BAND
The North Coast Symphonic Band at the Liberty Theatre in July 2017
Several selections are
regional, such as “The Red-
woods” and “...and the ante-
lope play” with elements of
the American West. Crock-
ett will be featured on a
selection by John Williams
— “Viktor’s Tale” from the
movie “The Terminal.” Vo-
calist Bob Walters will sing
“America, the Beautiful”
and lead the sing-along of
the service hymns and “God
Bless America.”
Come early for a concert
prelude at 6:30 p.m. by Mea
Culpa Bassoons. Doors
open at 6:15 p.m.
This concert concludes
the 2017-18 season of the
North Coast Symphonic
Band, but the band will
return in the fall with Dave
Becker continuing as musi-
cal director and conductor,
and all concerts performed
at the Liberty.
The band rehearses at
the Performing Arts Cen-
ter. Interested musicians
should contact personnel
director Lee Stromquist at
encore1@charter.net or call
503-861-1328 to see if po-
sitions are open. Musicians
should play at the advanced
high school level or better
and own their own instru-
ments.
For more information,
visit northcoastsymphon-
icband.org, follow North
Coast Symphonic Band on
Facebook, email ncsband@
charter.net or call 503-325-
2431.
Big-time trumpeter performs for his hometown
ASTORIA — KALA
presents trumpeter Mark
Berney in concert 8 p.m.
Friday, July 6. Tickets are
$15 and available in ad-
vance at libertyastoria.org.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Native Astorian Mark
Berney took up the trum-
pet at a young age and is
now a career musician and
educator. KALA welcomes
Berney in his first featured
hometown appearance.
The repertoire for the
evening will be a tribute to
Louis Armstrong. Ber-
ney’s former Astoria High
School band instructor Lee
Stromquist, a longtime
coastal musician, plays
piano, and string-bass pro,
Joey Altruda, complete the
trio.
Berney resides on the
East Coast and is hailed
as one of New England’s
finest and most musi-
cally diverse trumpeters
performing in a range of
musical styles, including
jazz, rock, ska, klezmer
and classical.
He has performed with
Aretha Franklin and toured
with Grammy nominee
Mighty Sam McClain,
Chandler Travis Phil-
harmonic and performed
at Jamaica’s first blues
festival with Toni Lynn
Washington in 2002. He’s
also toured with violinist
Itzhak Perlman, collab-
orated with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra,
appeared on CBS, Fox and
PBS, and performed con-
certs in such prestigious
venues as the Lincoln Cen-
ter, Hollywood Bowl and
Carnegie Hall.
Join friends, family,
jazz lovers and Berney’s
parents — longtime As-
toria residents Christina
and Bruce Berney — and
welcome him to the KALA
stage for a terrific night of
jazz trumpet. There will be
a full bar.
KALA is located at
1017 Marine Drive. For
more information, call
503-338-4878.
COURTESY KALA
Trumpeter Mark Berney