ISSUED: 27 September 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Cecelia Mason
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University School of Music will present the United States Navy Band Sea Chanters on Thursday, October 19, at 7 p.m. in the Frank Arts Center Theater. The concert is free and open to the public.
The Navy Band Sea Chanters are the Navy’s official chorus. The ensemble performs traditional choral music, sea chanteys, patriotic fare, opera, Broadway, and contemporary music.
The Sea Chanters regularly perform for the public in the Washington, D.C., area and throughout the United States. The group has appeared at the Kennedy Center Honors, with the National Symphony Orchestra, and for the nationally telecast “National Memorial Day Concert” at the U.S. Capitol. In addition, the Sea Chanters have appeared on “Larry King Live,” “CBS This Morning,” and at the premier of the movie “Pearl Harbor,” and have performed with stars such as Perry Como, Marian Anderson, Kenny Rogers, and Lionel Richie.
In 1956, Lt. Harold Fultz, then the band’s assistant leader, organized a vocal group from the Navy School of Music to sing chanteys and patriotic songs for the State of the Nation dinner. Recognizing the ensemble’s immediate success, Adm. Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations, transferred the group to the Navy Band, named them the Sea Chanters, and tasked the all-male chorus with perpetuating the songs of the sea. In 1980, the group added women to its ranks and expanded its repertoire to include everything from Brahms to Broadway.
For more information about upcoming events, visit the Calendar of Concerts and Events webpage.
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