Honolulu -- In celebration of Armed Forces Day and Hawaii Military Appreciation Month, Honolulu's Hawaii Theatre was the venue for the 2010 Combined Military Concert Saturday.
Featuring Hawaii-assigned musicians from each military service, the concert was open to the public and performed for the 29th consecutive year, said Charlie Ota, vice president for military affairs, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
The concert was sponsored by TriWest Healthcare Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.
“This concert is an opportunity for musicians from all services to combine their talents and put on a show for the public to enjoy,” Ota said. “Hawaii is the home for approximately 120,000 veterans and military retirees, so this is a great way for the band to reach out to the community.”
Chief Master Sgt. Larry D. MacTaggart, manager, Pacific Air Forces Band-Hawaii, and the concert’s master of ceremonies, opened the evening and introduced the concert’s host, Maj. Gen. Douglas Owens, Vice Commander, PACAF, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
“Members of the local community are the ones providing us with support every day,” Owens said. “Showcasing these bands in a joint concert provides a forum for the community to experience and enjoy the musical talents of our military.”
After Owens turned over the floor to the band, the program began with a spirited Scottish dance directed by Capt. Michael Willen, PACAF Band-Hawaii.
Following a second song, the program progressed, and a conductor from each service had the chance to direct the band.
Near the end of the program, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Sherlock, officer in charge, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band, and a native of Indianapolis, Ind., took the stage to conduct James Becke’s “Liberty for All,” as Master Sgt. Stephen Jeremiah, band master and staff noncommissioned officer in charge, MarForPac Band, and a native of Leesburg, Fla., offered a stirring accompanying narration.
“It’s a real joy to get together with the other bands,” Sherlock said. “The quality of the combined band is incredible.”
The concert concluded with an Armed Services’ medley conducted by each respective band’s senior enlisted service member.
Before the start of the Marine’s Hymn, Jeremiah took center stage, snapped to the position of attention, bowed and then began conducting the song.
Scanning over the crowd, one could see retired and active duty Marines alike standing tall. Several “ooh-rahs” rang out from the back of the room.
“The public always has perceptions about the military,” Jeremiah said. “This concert gives them another venue to see the face of today’s military.”
This was echoed by the smiling faces of awed concertgoers.
“The concert was fantastic,” said Dave Conklin, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who attended the concert for the first time this year. “I’ve never heard any other band perform at that caliber. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, I don’t know what will!”
As a part of a long-lasting and enjoyable tradition, the concert won’t be going away any time soon.
“This is the least we can do to support our service members and their families during Military Appreciation Month,” said Karl Kiyokawa, vice president of Hawaii operations, TriWest Healthcare Alliance. “We want to give back to the service members — they’re doing the heavy lifting.”
On Sept. 6, 1922, Honolulu’s beautiful Hawaii Theatre opened its doors as a showplace for vaudeville, plays, musicals and silent films. After thriving for years, however, the theatre fell into disrepair and the land lease was abandoned by the parent company in 1986.
Recognizing the theatre’s historic significance, a nonprofit corporation, the Hawaii Theatre Center, formed to save the theatre. In May 1996, they reopened it as a state-of-the art, 1,400-seat performance center.