Band of the Pacific shares "Sounds of the Season" with Anchorage community

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Blake Mize
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --   The Air Force's Band of the Pacific put on a pair of shows at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Anchorage Dec. 6 and 7 that drew near-capacity crowds.

Air Force Maj. Michael Willen, Band of the Pacific commander, said that the "Sounds of the Season", as the shows were dubbed, was a gift from the military to the community of Anchorage and featured some of the Air Force's premier musicians performing traditional holiday songs. The audience feedback from the shows was extremely positive, he added.

"Many concert goers are repeat visitors from previous years and look forward to this event every December," he said. "It is a family-friendly event and entire families are often a large part of the audience."

Children who attended the event were also pleased to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, who greeted the dozens of kids who were invited on stage to hear the story of Santa Claus.

"The kids especially look forward to seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus, who visit the concert every year," Willen said.

Willen also said the Air Force Band is a vital aspect of the Air Force mission as a whole that is directly tied to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's priority to partner with the joint and coalition team to win today's fight.

"Locally, the Air Force Band of the Pacific is directly tied to U.S. Pacific Command's strategy based on partnership, readiness and presence," Willen said. "Our organization's capabilities are well suited for enhancing U.S. relationships in the Asia-Pacific region, and we have done so within the last year by performing public concerts in Australia, Singapore and Japan on behalf of the U.S. State Department, U.S. Pacific Command and Pacific Air Forces."

The goal of the concerts is more than to just entertain, Willen said. The performances are meant to lift the spirits of the men and women in the fight.

"The PACAF Band "Top Cover" deployed to U.S. Central Command and gave 54 dynamic performances for more than 10,000 U.S. military, coalition partners, U.S. embassies and communities in and around our bases. Our performances are designed to create positive, long-lasting impressions of the United States and the U.S. Air Force in our audiences worldwide and lift the morale of our military members and coalition partners," Willen said.

Although the Air Force Band plays an important role in boosting morale abroad, they are also instrumental in local community relations.

"We serve as ambassadors for not only the Air Force, but members of all branches of the military who are stationed in Alaska," Willen said. "During our performances, we communicate the many positive contributions that our military members are making throughout the world on a daily basis. Additionally, we thank the communities for being supportive of the military, as they are our neighbors, friends and support network for our families, many of whom are stationed far from home."