Duquesne University musician performs with Navy band
Those attending the Free U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters concert hosted by Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Trust, Inc., will have the opportunity to see someone with special ties to our great city! Musician 1st Class Robert Kurth, a native of St. Clairsville, Ohio, joined the Sea Chanters in 2014. He earned his Bachelor of Music in music education from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, in 2003, and was the recipient of the Ferris and Dorothy Ohl Award. In 2008 he completed his Master of Music at Duquesne University, where he received the Phillip H. Inman Award in choral conducting.
Kurth has served as assistant director of choral activities at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he directed the Pappert Men's Chorale and taught conducting and voice classes. In 2013 Kurth was awarded Teacher of the Year, as voted by the student body. Kurth actively performed throughout the Pittsburgh area with many small roles and chorus parts for the Pittsburgh Opera and as a soloist around the greater Pittsburgh area. During that time Kurth also taught at Point Park University, guest conducted for PMEA events and was the worship leader at Covenant Community Church in Wheeling, West Virginia.
The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters is the official chorus of America’s Navy. The ensemble performs a variety of music ranging from traditional choral music, including sea chanteys and patriotic fare, to opera, Broadway and contemporary music. The Sea Chanters chorus is frequently found at the center of high-profile national events. At home in Washington, D.C., the group performs for the president, vice president, and numerous congressional, military and foreign dignitaries. One of the U.S. Navy Band’s primary responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing units embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach out to audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy's premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, meant to be entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy. We hope you will be able to attend this very special event!