KINGS POINT, N.Y.,  December 12, 2014 – On Sunday afternoon, the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Fanfare Trumpets travelled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to perform with the Allentown Band at the Miller Symphony Hall. Directed by Mr. Ronald Demkee, the Allentown Band held a “Holiday/Pearl Harbor Remembrance Concert” to welcome the holiday season while paying tribute to the soldiers and sailors lost on December 7, 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The concert began with an opening by the Fanfare Trumpets as they performed their fanfare “Felicitas.” Dressed in their formal ceremonial uniforms, which include red sashes, blue and grey belts, and white “bullet” pouches, the Fanfare Trumpet Midshipmen impressed the crowd with their polished trumpets and flourishing blue banners which display the Academy’s crest and motto, “Acta Non Verba.”

In concert with the Allentown Band, the Fanfare Trumpets, directed by CAPT Kenneth R. Force, performed with the Camerata Singers, directed by Dr. Allen Birney. The USMMA Fanfare Trumpets performed patriotic and festive pieces that included:

• “Felicitas” – A Fanfare arranged by CAPT Kenneth R. Force
• “The National Anthem” – John Stafford Smith
• “Armed Forces Salute” – arranged by Dick Hayman
• “The Great World War I Medley” – CAPT Kenneth R. Force
• “The Christmas Medley” (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring/Joy to the World) – arranged by SMSgt Robert Thurston for the U.S. Air Force Band Flash Mob 2013
• “Stars and Stripes Forever” - John Philip Sousa.

The Allentown Band is America’s oldest civilian concert band. The band was formed in 1828 and has performed ever since. The USMMA Fanfare Trumpets perform for many formal functions, such as the Academy’s Annual Senior Ring Dance, the Annual Alumni Association’s Awards Dinner, and the Maritime Industry’s “Salute to Congress” Dinner in Arlington, Virginia. They signal the beginning of all Regimental Reviews and highlight of some of the most accomplished musicians in the Academy’s Regimental Band.