III MEF Band kicks off their Christmas Concert Series in Kin Town

Photo By Staff Sgt. Danielle Prentice | KIN TOWN, OKINAWA, Japan— Cpl. Brianna Snyder high-fives a child on stage during the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band Christmas Concert Dec. 6 at the Kin Town Community Hall in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan. After the main performance, children were welcomed onto the stage by the conductors and vocalists of the III MEF Band. The children danced and sang Christmas carols with the band members. This was the first time that the III MEF Band held their Christmas concert off base. Snyder is a vocalist and flute player with the III MEF Band. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Danielle R. Prentice)  

KIN TOWN, OKINAWA, JAPAN

12.06.2017

Story by Lance Cpl. Danielle Prentice 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

The III Marine Expeditionary Force Band introduced their annual Christmas Concert Series off-base for the first time Dec. 6 at the Kin Town Community Hall in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan.

“I think it’s so fantastic to perform in front of the local community and share our joy, cheer and Christmas spirit with them,” said Cpl. Daniel Talob, a saxophone player with the III MEF Band. “Doing what we do is amazing because, playing music shares emotion. If the emotions we convey are joyful when we play, then joy is what the audience also feels. That is what’s so amazing about performing for everyone.”

This year’s concert was the III MEF Band’s rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The play features a greedy, wealthy, elderly man named Ebenezer Scrooge who hated Christmas. Throughout the play, three ghosts from the man’s past, present, and future showed Scrooge the consequences of his greed.

Leading the audience through the performance was Sgt. Ryan Van Gosen, a pianist with the III MEF Band, role-playing as Scrooge. Van Gosen lead the play with humor, obnoxious laughter, and witty commentary, keeping the audience entertained and involved throughout the performance.

“The skit we performed went really well,” said Talob. “All the transitions were in order with the piece. My particular part was to play “Careless Whisper” as an interlude for each ghost, whose part was to share Christmas spirit and cheer with the Scrooge.”

At the end of the performance, the audience took part in singing Christmas carols with the III MEF Band. The vocalists and conductors welcomed children on stage to sing and dance with them.

“It’s cool to see people come up on stage,” said Sgt. Charles Burnside, a clarinet player with the III MEF Band. “Though there are language barriers, we are able to stress the same humor and joy through the way we act and the facial expressions we make. We have to work harder to get the same message across, but it’s definitely worth it. Any chance we get to perform for the local community is a chance we’ll never pass up.”

• Date Taken: 12.06.2017
• Date Posted: 12.13.2017 00:24
• Story ID: 258585
• Location: KIN TOWN, OKINAWA, JP