Navy Band Northwest Kicks Off Holiday Season

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nardel Gervacio, Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Detachment Northwest Public Affairs

OAK HARBOR, Wash (NNS) -- More than 500 people attended a free holiday concert by the Navy Band Northwest at Oak Harbor High School Performing Arts Center, Dec. 1.

The concert was titled "A Salute to the Season" where spectators enjoyed musical tunes ranging from holiday music, country, jazz, traditional, classical and opera.

The performance was a chance for the band to show their appreciation and continued support between the U.S. Navy and the local community.

"Tonight, Navy Band Northwest is presenting a holiday concert for the citizens of Oak Harbor as well as Whidbey Island in general," said Lt. Patrick K. Sweeten, director of Navy Band Northwest. "It's an annual concert that we look forward to and it's our opportunity to give back to the community."

The mission of Navy Band Northwest is to provide musical support for official Navy functions and Navy recruiting efforts, and to serve the communities of the Pacific Northwest in a public relations capacity.

"The holiday concert performances that we play around the states are really a chance for us to bring the spirit of the holidays to the entire region," said Musician 3rd Class Derek Brainard of New York. "People come out in masses every year to celebrate the holidays with us and it a fun way to kick off the season and get into the spirit of Christmas."

Through the years, Navy Band Northwest has built a reputation for quality musical performances. The 35 rated musicians are called upon to perform in various musical units including the Ceremonial/Parade Band, Big Band/Fleet Jazz Ensemble, Contemporary Entertainment Ensemble, Brass Quintet, and Jazz Combo.

Navy Band Northwest performs over 480 engagements each year, including military and civic ceremonies, dances, school clinics, parades, and public concerts.

"The turnout of the crowd was fantastic. The attendance was greater than last year and we get that support from Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island every year we come out here and at the same time the concerts gets bigger every year," said Brainard. "It was phenomenal to see everyone come out tonight, the crowd were really responsive. It was great to see and hear their reaction."

The concert, which lasted an hour and a half ended with a Christmas sing-a-long and a surprise appearance from Santa Claus who passed out candies to the kids and interacted with the crowd.

"This concert was fabulous and it was the best we had, great music, good acoustics, multi-talented musicians, they were able to play a variety of instruments, putting a new twist on familiar Christmas songs and I loved every minute of it," said Dr. Rick Schulte, superintendent of Oak Harbor School District No. 201.

Among the crowd who enjoyed the concert was retired Master Chief Radioman Richard Scoble of Coupeville, Wash.

"I came here tonight with my wife and a few of our friends and we really enjoyed the Navy Band performance. It was worth the trip here and we all enjoyed the evening," said Scoble.