FCWE Tribute
An Armed Forces Spectacular!
The First Coast Wind Symphony, conducted by Artie Clifton, celebrated Armed Forces Day on May 19, 2012 with a free patriotic concert at Moosehaven retirement community, 1701 Park Ave. in Orange Park, FL. The event was held at the Riverfront Pavilion in a scenic setting overlooking the beautiful St. Johns River. Orange Park soprano Michelle Nugent Munley was guest artist.
The program featured military and patriotic music that paid tribute to the brave men and women who serve our country in all our uniformed services. Selections also included popular music from the movies, including Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, and music by film composer John Williams, including the Stars Wars Epic.
The musical presentation was in the grand tradition of band park concerts that have been enjoyed by generations of American concert-goers. The appreciative crowd enjoyed the inspiring music and delightful setting. Concert highlights included a trumpet quartet (Don Reynolds, Jeff Mills, Jeff Clary, Chris Hopkins) as soloists in The Summit, and soprano Munley's stirring rendition of America the Beautiful.
The concert closed with a patriotic finale in which audience members representing their military branches stood to be recognized during the playing of Armed Forces Salute. The audience clapped along enthusiastically with the encore performance of The Stars and Stripes Forever.
