Local army band to perform at downtown July 3rd concert
The 85th Army Band based in Arlington Heights has performed for a handful of people at places like retirement homes and for thousands at festivals in Salt Lake City and Dallas.
But on July 3rd, the band will be on its biggest stage yet when it headlines the pre-fireworks concert at Chicago's Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.
The army reserve band got a call from the Mayor's Office of Special Events about the Independence Eve concert shortly after performing at a Veterans Day ceremony at the Harold Washington Library last November.
"My first reaction was a large gulp, and can we handle it," said Sgt. John Garvens, 24, a bass trombonist in the group.
The band, which practices at the Army Reserve Center at 1515 W. Central Road, will be joined by members of other army bands in Milwaukee and Minneapolis to form a 60-person ensemble that will play patriotic classics for 90 minutes.
"This is our job in the Army. We're actually executing our mission here," said Spc. Tina Schultz, who will be one of two vocalists at the July 3rd concert.
The Chicago performance is one of about 60 different events the band has this year. On Thursday, it performed at the Daley Center for the Army's 234th Birthday celebration. Later this summer, band members will head to Ft. Sill in Oklahoma for a two-week stay. They also play on most major federal holidays.
To prepare for their performances, the band holds monthly weekend practices at the reserve center - 70 percent of it musical and 30 percent the military training that all army reservists go through, according to Warrant Officer James Walker, the commander and bandmaster. With work, school and family commitments, the schedule for an Army reservist in a band can be demanding.
"It's challenging if you don't know how to organize," said Spc. Carrie Castillo, 30, who takes classes at DeVry University and drives a school bus, in addition to being a mother.
A flute player, Castillo first got interested in music at age 10. But she started in the army as a cook with the Wisconsin National Guard and later at the Arlington Heights center, she auditioned for the 85th Army Band.
The band's youngest members are college students. Garvens said he found out about the 85th Army Band from friends when he attended Illinois State University.
Sgt. 1st Class Gerry Johnson, 57, first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1976, and later the National Guard. He joined the 85th Army Band just after Sept. 11, 2001, when band members were called on to provide security at the front entrance of the reserve center, as well as perform almost 100 shows shortly thereafter.
"Most people, once they've joined, pretty much stay for a full-time career," Walker said. "We have one of the highest retention rates in the Army, on the active and reserve sides."
Members can retire at age 60, Walker said.
The band had 18 members a few years ago, but today is at "full strength" with 40 and three others now enlisting, Walker said.
The group's performance July 3 will break with a tradition going back about 30 years of performances that evening by the Grant Park Symphony. But the symphony is moving its performance to Independence Day in Millenium Park, which opened the door for the military band.
The group will meet in Arlington Heights on July 2 for one final practice before appearing on the big stage the following night at 7:30 p.m.
"There's always nerves. I'm always anxious and excited," Castillo said. "Then when we're there the nerves go away."