APRIL 7, 2019 - 4:PM

The “Music in the Life of Eisenhower” concert is being presented free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you register in advance, you will be guaranteed a seat, unless we inform you that seats are no longer available.  

A complimentary reception follows the concert. All concert parking is free.

Music in the Life of Eisenhower” on April 7^th will commemorate the 75^thAnniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2019.

Music Director David Grandis and Virginia Chamber Orchestra will be joined by Narrator Robert Aubry Davis from National Public Television’s WETA; the Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force; and the select Pro Coro singers from the Alexandria Choral Society. Davis will provide insights about Eisenhower’s musical favorites--selected from lists by reliable sources and recordings in his personal collection-- and will share what they reveal about him.

As Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War II, General Eisenhower placed great importance on maintaining high morale of the troops.  Music was an essential part of his strategy.  He enthusiastically encouraged the major contributions of Irving Berlin, Glenn Miller, and Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Band. The Airmen of Note, founded to continue the Glenn Miller Band tradition, will perform Miller’s signature songs, and the Pro Coro singers and orchestra will perform Berlin’s “God Bless America, sometimes called the “second national anthem.”

The program will also include music performed at White House events hosted by Ike and Mamie, and Ike’s personal favorites, from a West Point song and a folk tune to music from a hit Broadway show.

The orchestra returns to the Ernst Center on April 7^th, 2019 with an uplifting new “Music of the Presidents” concert commemorating Eisenhower and the upcoming 75^th Anniversary of D-Day. Narration by Robert Aubry Davis will highlight Ike’s association with Irving Berlin and Glenn Miller. The VCO and David Grandis will be joined by the select Pro Coro singers and the Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force, playing original Glenn Miller arrangements.  

Music and narration from this concert will be combined with in-studio discussion by nationally known experts and students for a video program.  Used in countless classrooms for the foreseeable future, the video will also be screened for the general public and life long learners

Music of the Presidents

concert commemorating Eisenhower and the upcoming 75^th Anniversary of D-Day. Narration by Robert Aubry Davis will highlight Ike’s association with Irving Berlin and Glenn Miller. 

Music and narration from this concert will be combined with in-studio discussion by nationally known experts and students for a video program.

Remember: The VCO does not mail tickets; tickets may be picked up at the concert