For many members of the U.S. Air Force Band of the West, serving in the military is both an American as well as musical tradition.
A1C Luis Klebsch shared that his father plays horn with the Cleveland Orchestra, and his mother is a classical singer. For his own part, he said, “I had a goal of being in a military band. And now I’m really happy that I can be in that position.”
“I like that we get to do a lot of community outreach, and get to travel the country and reach a lot of different people,” Klebsch said.
The full Band of the West is making a central Texas tour this month. The Memorial Day-themed concerts will include music by Leonard Bernstein, John Williams' "Hymn to the Fallen," and Aaron Copland's moving "Lincoln Portrait," featuring guest narration by State Rep. Josey Garcia, District 124.
The band will be performing in New Braunfels on May 19, at Laurie Auditorium in San Antonio on May 20, at Boerne’s Champion High School on May 21, and on the steps of the Texas Capitol Building on May 22. The New Braunfels concert is already sold out, but free tickets for the remaining shows are available now at airforcebands.com. Showtime for all programs is 7:30 p.m. except in Austin, when it will be 7:00 p.m.
Sr. Airman Ben Smelser, an Illinois native, also comes from a musical background. He explained that his job in the Air Force involves not just performance. Unlike civilian ensembles, there’s no arts administration branch in the U.S. military to handle logistics for the bands. They work as a self-contained unit. So Smelser’s role in the Band of the West is not only to play trombone, but to coordinate travel for the band when it goes on tour.
For A1C Klebsch, being a part of the Band of the West also carries deep meaning when it comes to honoring those who’ve served.
“Being a trumpet player, we get to play ‘Taps’ at funeral services and help give those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the best we can,” Klebsch said.
