Washington — Every year, the United States Navy Band performs a big holiday show in the nation’s capital. The highly trained and highly talented servicemen and women gave CBS News a behind-the-scenes look at how they prepare.
The Navy Band has been around, informally, almost as long as the Navy, serving through performances at presidential inaugurations, funerals and other government functions.
“The most rewarding thing for me, honestly, is getting the opportunity to work with these outstanding individuals,” said Captain Ken Collins, the band’s commander.
Musician 1st Class Chelsi Vanderpol is one of those individuals.
“I was really terrified to go to boot camp, so I also trained a lot,” Vanderpol said.
The band’s 170 members, who comprise 11 different ensembles, perform more than 1,300 shows per year all around the globe.
“In my first year we learned a Japanese piece. We had selected a song that was written in honor of those that they had lost in the giant tsunami in 2011,” Vanderpol said. “They came up to us and they shake our hands through broken English, they’re thanking us for honoring them. We shared an experience, established good faith and we created a relationship.”
These servicemen and women aren’t typically subject to combat deployment the way other Navy sailors are, and they must first audition for the band before they commit to the Navy. As for their winter show, thousands of tickets for Sunday’s concert were handed out in only seven minutes.
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
