US Marine Band bringing free concert to Elkview

The U.S. Marine Band will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Herbert Hoover High School in Elkview.Photo byU.S. Marine Corps Band

ELKVIEW, W.Va. -- The U.S. Marine Band is bringing a free concert to the Kanawha Valley in the coming days.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, the corps -- known as the "The President's Own" since the days of Thomas Jefferson -- will bring their musical talents to Herbert Hoover High School, 775 Husky Way in Elkview.

The two-hour concert is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free, but tickets are required and can be obtained online. There is a limit of four tickets per request.

Thursday's performance is part of the 2024 U.S. Marine Band National Coast to Coast Tour. It is sponsored by Herbert Hoover High School and will take place in the school's gymnasium.

“The Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization,” a release from Kanawha County Schools announcing the upcoming performance notes. “The Marine Band’s primary mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.”

The Elkview concert is just one of 28 performances on the corp’s month-long coast-to-coast tour. Other stops include locations in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Washington.

Only one other performance, at WVU, will be held in West Virginia during the tour.

The Oct. 3 concert will feature traditional band repertoire, marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and other patriotic music, organizers said.

The Marine Band is under the direction of Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin, a native of Ohio.

More information, as well as tickets to the Thursday's free concert in Elkview, can be found at this link.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.com or by calling 304-370-3067.