USNA Music This Spring

Dear Friends,

It's been a busy Spring for the USNA Music Department. From concerts on the Yard and Washington D.C. to parades in New York City and tours in Japan, these musical midshipmen have literally been all over the world! 

There is more to come that you won't want to miss!

Tickets to this weekend's incredible performance are sold out but if you are interested in attending, be sure to check the Strathmore Music Center ticket site as more tickets may open up.

Spring festivities continue throughout April and May including performances at the Preakness Races and the Southern Maryland Celtic festival, culminating in the always amazing but bittersweet Commissioning Week concerts celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2024.

Visit usna.edu/Music for more information.

As always, thank you for your continued support, all of this is possible because of you!

-Friends of Naval Academy Music

❄️🎶Why FONAM is Part of my Year End Giving ❄️🎶

Dear Friends,

During my 50+ years involved in the Musical Activities program at the Naval Academy, I had the honor and privilege to work with countless and immensely talented men and women, many of whom have gone on to achieve so much in service to country and in the private sector, due, in no small part, to the experiences they had as musicians at USNA.

You all know how valuable music is to Midshipmen and to the community and we owe it to ourselves to ensure that legacy continues. 

Music at USNA has never been fully funded, rather, it has always relied on a combination of government and non-government support, plus income generated by the music department, and gifts of all kinds from all sorts of people and organizations. FONAM was established to institutionalize that gift part, to smooth out the dramatic swings that sometimes occur when costs spike or support falters, to guarantee the future availability of funds necessary for long-range planning, and to establish an endowment to provide a reliable cash flow for future support.

FONAM has already pumped a stream of cash into the music department’s annual operating budget, and has purchased some items that would be tough to buy under government low-bid rules - things like high end recording and editing equipment that the department uses to produce first rate performances that you can see on YouTube and a set of steel drums that were custom built for the program.

There is more work to be done and we need your help - we cannot do this without you! I urge you, when you consider your end of year giving to make a contribution to FONAM or better yet, set up a recurring monthly donation!

Why do I support FONAM?  

Because it gives me so much pleasure to give to a cause that I love.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year,

Barry Talley

Set up a monthly "Class Year" donation - just $20 (e.g. $19.83 for the class of 1983, $20.12 for 2012 etc.) goes a long way!

⚓🎶 Help us keep the music in tune ⚓🎶

As we kick off the holiday season with Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the rearview, we allow ourselves, on Giving Tuesday to shift our focus from consumerism to altruism.

This GivingTuesday, FONAM asks you to help us to strengthen the future of Naval Academy Music, a program that has positively impacted all of our lives.

Our goal is to raise $2,023 by the end of the day...

WILL YOU HELP?

We know that there are many asks of your generosity today and throughout the year. By giving directly to FONAM, your contributions make an immediate impact to the needs of the music program at the Naval Academy and allow us to maintain a fund that can be called upon in an emergency situation.

This community of friends, family, and music alumni like you make it possible for us to keep music at USNA alive - cultivating the talents of the midshipmen in the orchestra, Pipes and Drums, Chapel Choirs, Drum and Bugle Corps, Gospel Choir, and Glee Clubs and allowing them to spread joy, patriotism, and inspiration around the world.

We can't do it without you. I hope you’ll join us this GivingTuesday!

DONATE TODAY

Giving Thanks and SAVE THE DATE!

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters of Naval Academy Music,

 As we come closer to the end of 2023 and enter the holiday season, the FONAM Board wants to take a moment to say THANK YOU! 

Thank you to all of you who have so generously supported our efforts to bring much needed resources to music programs at USNA through one time contributions or recurring monthly donations. Thank you to all those who have supported our midshipmen at home and on the road by attending concerts and events. And thank you for helping to spread the word about FONAM to fellow alumni to help us to build this community.

It has been an exciting and busy Fall for our musical midshipmen - from the ever incredible Halloween Organ Concert in the USNA Chapel to the Pipes and Drums performances at the Richmond Highland Games, the Midshipman Orchestra Concert, and many Drum and Bugle Corps performances at football games (from Annapolis all the way to Dublin!). The Men's and Women's Glee Clubs completed a successful Fall Tour, traveling to Minneapolis to perform as guest artists with the Minnesota Orchestra over Veterans Day weekend and are now hard at work rehearsing for the always anticipated and always breathtaking Handel's Messiah performances coming up in Annapolis December 2-3 (ticket information can be found here).

SAVE THE DATE!

Giving Tuesday is November 28th...a great day to allocate some end of year giving funds or start a recurring "class year" donation to support music at USNA so that it can continue to thrive in the years to come.

THANK YOU for being a Friend of Naval Academy Music!

FALL into Music at USNA

As the Brigade returns from summer training and reforms on the yard, and as the recent release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte has us all thinking of falling leaves, cooler temperatures, cozy scarves and tailgaters we're also thinking about the Fall musical traditions at the Naval Academy. You can always catch Pipes and Drums pumping up fans in the Navy Marine Corps Stadium parking lot with a catchy highland tune, singing midshipman voices inspiring patriotism and kicking off a football game with the National Anthem, and the Drum and Bugle Corps keeping our spirits high until we all join in singing Blue and Gold.

There are also musical events around the yard (and the country!) that you won't want to miss - you can get more information and buy tickets at https://navyperforms.showare.com

Upcoming performances include:

2/C Parent's Weekend Glee Club and Gospel Choir Concert

     Friday, 8 September 2023, 7:00 pm, Mahan Hall 

Fall Organ Concert featuring Chapel Organist Monte Maxwell and the Midshipman Instrumental Ensemble

     Friday, 15 September 2023, 7:00 pm, Main Chapel

Distinguished Artist Series Concert featuring the Royal Marines Band

     Friday, October 20th, 2023, 7:00 pm, Mahan Hall

Halloween/All Saints Concert

     Friday/Saturday October 27th & 28th, various times, Main Chapel

Veterans Day Glee Club Concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra

     Saturday/Sunday November 11th &12th, various times, Minneapolis, MN

These incredible events would not be possible without your support. We appreciate and value every single one of our donors and thank you for your continued contributions to Friends of Naval Academy Music and to the legacy of music at the Naval Academy.

Donate Here

...And the Rockets Red Glare

As the sun sets on Independence Day this year and fireworks light up the night sky, we hope that you have all enjoyed a day of celebration, remembrance, and love with friends and family. For those on deployment or standing the watch, we send you our thanks and thoughts.

On the 4th of July, the words of patriotic tunes echo through our speakers and minds, from modern Lee Greenwood and Toby Keith songs to the more traditional America the Beautiful and Star Spangled Banner, which we all no doubt still remember every note of harmony to - bringing back core memories of our time at USNA, playing in the Drum and Bugle Corps or Pipes and Drums or singing with the Glee Club or Gospel Choir. 

We hope that you will all continue to stay in touch on social media (see links below) and spread the word about FONAM to friends and classmates. Lots of exciting things to come for this community!

Set up a recurring donation to support the future of music at USNA!!

Four Years Together By the Bay...

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that USNA Commissioning Week and Graduation is once again upon us. A week of friends, family, celebrations, memories, and the anticipation of new adventures to come.

Looking back, its impossible to remember those moments without hearing the music in the background - the Drum and Bugle Corps playing "Anchors Aweigh" as we marched for the last time on the parade field, raising our voices with the Glee Clubs in our last National Anthem wearing midshipman insignia, and glancing around at our classmates, hands over hearts, trying not to shed a tear during Blue and Gold before we "scatter far and wide..."

***

Honor those memories and show your support for future generations of midshipmen creating amazing music by making a one-time or recurring donation to Friends of Naval Academy Music

***

If you find yourself in Annapolis this week, be sure to catch the class of 2023's final music performances around the yard:

MAY 23

*Commissioning Week Concert (Men's Glee Club, Women's Glee Club, Gospel Choir)

Main Chapel
8:00 PM

MAY 24

Turnover Formation Performance (Pipes and Drums)

T-Court

12:15 PM

MAY 24

Demonstration Performance

Drum & Bugle Corps

Radford Terrace
12:30 PM

MAY 24

*Commissioning Week Organ Recital

Chapel Organ

Main Chapel
4:00 PM

*Tickets for events can be purchased at https://navyperforms.showare.com/

USNA Music On the Road

Dear Friends,

With Winter (almost) in the rearview and Spring on the horizon, USNA Music is hitting the road for some exciting Spring concert tours!

It all started this weekend at the Arizona Music Festival in Scottsdale where The Pipes and Drums Corps and Glee Clubs appeared as Guest Artists with the Festival Orchestra- comprised of some of the best musicians representing 15 of the nation's premier orchestras.

The Glee Clubs are now heading north into sunny California for a series of concerts (free to the public!) -

SUNDAY MARCH 12, 2023 at 7:00 pm
La Jolla Presbyterian Church
7715 Draper Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037

TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Our Lady Queen of Angels Church
2046 Mar Vista Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

FRIDAY MARCH 17, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Covenant Presbyterian Church
607 E. 3 rd Street
Long Beach, CA 90802

SATURDAY MARCH 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm
St. Paul the Apostle Church
10750 Ohio Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Later in the month, the Gospel Choir will travel to NEW YORK to visit local schools and perform several public concerts to highlight the talents of the Brigade of Midshipmen and to introduce prospective candidates to the opportunities available to them by attending the US Naval Academy.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Public Concert - St. Philip's Church (Harlem)
204 West 134 Street
New York, NY 10021

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023 at 10:00am-12:00pm
Mini-Admissions Forum - St. Jean de Baptiste High School
173 E. 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

 SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2023 at 9:00am
 Worship Service Guest Choir - Shiloh Baptist Church
 515 W 4th Street
 Plainfield, NJ 07060

Feel free to share this information with your friends, families, and colleagues so that they may be able to catch our talented midshipmen sharing great music in great spaces!

We all fondly remember tour as a time to bond with our best mates and create incredible music. To that end, we’re asking for you to loop your pals from Glee, Gospel, D&B, Pipes & Drums, and all corners of Naval Academy music and get them involved in FONAM today!

Springing out of Winter with USNA Music

Fellow Singers, Musicians, Friends, and Supporters, 

First, we want to thank this wonderful community for the end of year giving campaign. Because of your commitment throughout the year, Friends of Naval Academy Music was able to give the Music Department $54,000 - a record year of support! THANK YOU!  

Music is back in full swing on The Yard! This year's Winter Musical was an incredible success due to the efforts of so many incredibly talented midshipmen, from the singers, actors, and pit musicians to those involved in tech and set design. They pulled off Stephen Sondheim's challenging "Into the Woods" and truly wowed a packed Mahan Theater last weekend.

There are a few things we wanted to put on your radar in case your travels bring you to a place where you can reconnect with your USNA musical roots:

• Mar 05 Gospel Choir @ Kettering Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, MD

• Mar 05 Pipes and Drums: Annapolis St. Patrick's Day Parade

• Mar 10 Glee Club guest artists at Arizona Musicfest in Scottsdale, AZ

• Mar 12-19 Glee Club Spring Break Concert Tour in California

• Mar 24 Pipes and Drums Concert in Mahan Hall

• Mar 31 Spring Tour "Home" Concert in USNA Chapel

For more information and tickets, check out the Music Department website.

Stay tuned for more information on FONAM-specific events, including a reception during the Glee Club's tour in California!

Please consider becoming a recurring donor today! Your support of Naval Academy Music ensures that our music programs have the resources to thrive and continue spreading music and joy around the nation and world.

Thank you as always for being a part of this special community and thank you for your generous support! 

The Friends of Naval Academy Music Board of Directors   

Finishing 2022 Strong

Fellow Singers, Musicians, Friends and Supporters,

The holidays are a very special time at the Naval Academy, and music is at the heart of it all. From the Holiday Orchestra Concert to the annual Messiah performance… even in the midst of exams and end of year requirements, music kept us in the holiday spirit and gave us memories to carry with us for years to come.

As you reflect on 2022 and prepare for a restorative holiday break, we wanted to take a moment to share a few musical favorites from the holiday season: 

• The Army-Navy game: No matter the outcome, we all have special memories tailgating with Pipes and Drums, singing the National Anthem with the combined choirs, and celebrating big plays with the roaring Drum & Bugle Corps. While millions watched the most anticipated rivalry go into double overtime, we can’t help but reflect that music starts and ends the match as the entire Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen raised their voices to sing the West Point Alma Mater and Navy Blue and Gold

• The 75th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah: The Superintendent called it “the official start to the Naval Academy holiday season,” and we could not agree more! This year’s performance was even more special with the commissioning of an original piece of art capturing the festively decorated Chapel and combined Glee Clubs. This long standing tradition is one of the most cherished memories of music on the Yard and we even hear there’s talk of an alumni performance in the future years so we’ll have to dust off our old copies 

Music is part of the fabric of life at the Naval Academy and we are committed to ensuring that our music programs have the resources to truly thrive and continue to spread music and joy around our nation and the world.

Because of YOUR SUPPORT, Friends of Naval Academy Music has contributed over $50K directly to the USNA Music Department. This has been our strongest fundraising year ever and the work continues!

Will you help us to keep the momentum going?

INCLUDE NAVAL ACADEMY MUSIC IN YOUR END OF YEAR GIVING

Thank you for being a part of this community and for your generous support.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2023,

The Friends of Naval Academy Music Board of Directors

Be sure to check your local PBS listings this holiday season to catch a broadcast of the 2022 Messiah Performance