"The President's Cup" Concert Band Festival is an invitation-only, adjudicated festival for high school concert bands and wind ensembles.  The most accomplished high school music programs will be invited to spend a day with retired and active-duty military musicians.

The festival is designed to challenge high school ensembles to understand their full potential and to emphasize the dedication and hard work it takes to be their best.  “The President’s Cup” will represent the values of hard work, superb performance, and teamwork exemplified by America’s men and women in uniform.

Each concert band will have the opportunity to perform on-stage at the beautiful Hylton Performing Arts Center in Historic Manassas, Virginia.  Following their festival performance, bands will receive a clinic and instruction from our excellent panel of clinicians and adjudicators.  To round out the musical instruction, clinicians will provide master classes by instrument. 

The festival day will conclude with a feature concert by The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.”*

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For those who wish to watch the bands perform, the President's Cup festival is free and open to the public.

Providing a musical backdrop for many of the nation’s most notable events, The U.S. Army Concert Band has a worldwide reputation for extraordinary musicianship.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, The U.S. Army Concert Band has performed in concert venues such as Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Hollywood Bowl--connecting the Army with the American people. The ensemble participates in ongoing, educational outreach and often appears at national and international music events, including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Music Educators National Convention, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and the American Bandmasters Association.

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During the summer months, the Concert Band performs outdoor concerts on the West Steps of the U.S. Capitol and at venues throughout the Washington, DC, area. Regular concerts are offered during the cooler months at The United States Army Band’s home, Brucker Hall, located on historic Fort Myers, in Arlington, Virginia.

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In an effort to promote international goodwill, the 65-piece, traditional concert band has performed joint concerts with the Soviet Army, the Russian Navy, and the Ukrainian Navy bands, and has appeared in military tattoos in Scotland, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Australia, and Japan. The Concert Band’s 2011 and 2012 goodwill exchange concert tours with the Military Band of the PLA of China, entitled Friendship and Cooperation Through Music, is indicative of the importance these musical ambassadors play in matters of international diplomacy and outreach.

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The Soldiers in this ensemble have been trained at some of the most prestigious music conservatories and universities in the country. Displaying their versatility, the Concert Band members perform a variety of styles, ranging from classical to popular. The communicative power of The U.S. Army Concert Band is greatly enhanced when combined with other musical elements of “Pershing’s Own.”

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The United States Army Band Concert is free and open to the public.

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https://www.usarmyband.com/

Washington DC is not only the capital of the United States of America but also the center of American history, education, and the performing arts. Your visit to Washington, DC will educate and inspire you to achieve the highest levels of educational excellence. Whether it’s an illuminated night tour among the nation’s most majestic monuments and memorials or stepping into the halls of Congress, your visit to Washington, DC will create memories that will last a lifetime. 

Hylton Performing Arts Center entertains, educates, and enriches the Northern Virginia community by providing diverse and accessible arts experiences in state-of-the-art venues.

Merchant Hall is an elegantly styled opera house with a 100-foot stage and orchestra pit. Its clever design provides every audience member with an intimate experience and the perfect setting for a variety of genres - symphonies, dance, opera, and theater – everything from bluegrass to Beethoven!

Forte Productions by Sound Education Programs provides world-class and purpose-driven productions in the world's most prestigious concert venues. Unlike anything else available for a student musician, Forte Productions has been delivering music education experiential learning to the rising generation in a way that is both truly meaningful and educationally unsurpassed. Music transcends language barriers. It unites people of various backgrounds, cultures, and ideals in a remarkable way. Thousands of people have joined us in locations around the world to commemorate the past and celebrate the future with music and culture while saluting those people, places, and ideals that have both inspired and united people for generations. 

• Arrival - spend the day at the Smithsonian Museums
• Check into the hotel and dinner provided

• Breakfast provided
• Clinics & Master Classes at the Hylton Center (all instructors are active duty, retired, or former military musicians from the Washington, DC Service Bands
• Optional feature public performance in DC
• Arlington Cemetery tour
• Dinner and evening tour of DC

• Breakfast provided
• “The President’s Cup” National High School Concert Band Festival – Each group will have an adjudicated performance on-stage, followed by a feedback session by the chief judge
• Formal Concert featuring The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own"

• Breakfast provided
• Optional sightseeing
• Departure