U.S. Navy Band in Clover Feb. 12

CLOVER - The United States Navy Band and Sea Chanters chorus from Washington, D.C., will present a concert on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in Clover School District Auditorium.

Under the baton of Capt. Ralph M. Gambone, the band and chorus will present a variety of popular and classical favorites reflecting the band’s 80-year-heritage.

The concert is free, but tickets are required and may be obtained by calling the auditorium at 803-222-8018. Any unclaimed seats will be available to non-ticket holders just prior to concert time.

This special performance by the Navy’s premier musical organization is part of the Navy’s Band’s 80th anniversary national tour. Officially formed on March 4, 1925, by an act of Congress, the band presents public concerts in the Washington metropolitan area and tours annually throughout the country. The band also presents honors for arriving dignitaries at White House and Pentagon ceremonies, and performs memorial services at Arlington Cemetery. In addition, the band participated in 19 Presidential inaugurals and the 1991 Operation Desert Storm victory celebrations Washington and New York.

The Sea Chanters chorus performs a variety of music, ranging from traditional sea chanteys to Broadway musicals. Organized in 1945 as an all-male chorus specializing primarily in songs of the sea, the group was named by Admiral Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations. Later, female voices were added and the chorus’s repertoire expanded.

The Navy Band occupies a position of national prominence as both a service tradition and a distinguished musical organization.