Citadel Band and Pipes free spring concert Tuesday
April 16, 2012
Regimental Band and Pipes spring concert the best free entertainment around
CHARLESTON, SC – The Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes annual spring concert on Tuesday has a new twist.
Capt. Brian Walden, the commanding officer and conductor of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., will serve as the first guest conductor of the Regimental Band and Pipes when the concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in McAlister Field House. The concert is free and open to the public.
A native of South Carolina with strong ties to James Island, Walden served as a trumpet instrumentalist while stationed in Charleston and has served with the U.S. Navy Show Band, U.S. Naval Academy Band, the Navy School of Music, the Navy Band Great Lakes and the Allied Forces Southern Europe (NATO) Band. He has guest conducted ensembles and performed as a trumpet instrumentalist in more than 74 countries during his career.
“We are thrilled to have Capt. Walden with us as our first guest conductor at the spring concert,” said retired Navy Cmdr. Mike Alverson, director of music at The Citadel. “The cadets are looking forward to working with him on several music selections during the concert.”
Walden holds a bachelor’s degree in music with a double major in religious studies from Saint Leo University in Florida, and a master’s degree in wind ensemble conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass. He also has performed with the Virginia Wind Symphony and the Virginia Beach Symphony Orchestra. Walden has served as director of music at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Md., and St. Andrews United Methodist Church, Virginia Beach, Va., and as the orchestral brass instructor for the Virginia Beach Public Schools Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
The concert band is under the direction of retired Navy Cmdr. Mike Alverson, director of music, and the Pipe Band is under the direction of CPT Jim Dillahey, SCM. The cadets of the Regimental Band and Pipes will present selections of varied musical styles-from Broadway to the traditional sounds of Scotland and Canada. The band, one of the most recognized cadet organizations at The Citadel, was one of the featured performers at the 2010 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a nightly show held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland and featuring military musicians from around the world.
