US Navy Band Sea Chanters Showcases Sailors’ Humanity

US Navy Band Sea Chanters Showcases Sailors’ Humanity

 by Brian Crawford

Sea Chanters perform at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial hall and Museum

The powerful sound of the Battle Hymn of the Republic thundered through the majestic and commodious auditorium of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, as the US Navy Band Sea Chanters closed out their Pittsburgh performance on a nationwide tour.  Battle Hymn of the Republic, a song popularized during the American Civil War, stood as a commentary on slavery and a symbol of the Union cause.  It was the perfect way to end a performance in a building conceived by the Grand Army of the Republic, a one-time veterans organization of Civil War Union veterans.  Soldiers and Sailors is the largest memorial in the United States that honors all military personal, regardless of their branch of service.  For as powerful as that moment was, the lead up, was anything but conventional.

I was thrilled to see the Sea Chanters coming to Pittsburgh knowing that the quality would be excellent featuring some of the best musicians across such a large group of individuals as the US Navy.  Attending with my friend Sarah Kremer, booking chairperson with the Millvale Music Festival, I was expecting the traditional patriotic fanfare you would associate with the Navy, and though that was present, there was so much more.  Swing, barbershop music, and even some costume theater was on display.

Brian Crawford and Sarah Kremer viewing Sea Chanters performance

Sarah approved, “I loved the variety of their song catalog! And the beautiful venue and wonderful acoustics took the experience to the next level.”  Like I said, she leads booking of the 300+ band Millvale Music Festival at the end of May.  She knows what she’s talking about when it comes to music.

Instrumentalists perform in Sea Chanters group

Many of the pieces, in addition to being contemporary and fun, included an education into the Navy’s rich history.  One arrangement in particular, ‘Salute to the Waves’, told the story of women enlisting in the US Navy under its WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) initiative.  The arrangement featured 4 pieces mixed in with letters from a young woman who left home to enlist.  Through these letters, the audience witnessed her impressions and experiences from enlistment through the war’s end.

With small ensemble pieces that allow for creativity and for the Sailors to have fun with the program, and with the education of Sailors of the past, the performance permeated through the stoic and honorable reality of Sailors to show the humanity and individuality each one of them possess.  The Sea Chanters reinforces what we know, the sacrifice and honor of our servicepeople, but also reminds us that they’re people and that they can also be really fun.

In a statement from the US Navy Band to PGH Museums, Musician 1st Class Amy Broadbent, a soprano vocalist with the ensemble said, “It was inspiring to perform at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and an honor to have the opportunity to tell the stories of American heroes who have served before us in such a beautiful and iconic space dedicated to honoring veterans.”  I say, it was an honor to have them here, and we hope you come back soon.

To learn more about the US Navy Band and their upcoming performances go to visit https://www.navyband.navy.mil

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