ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Notes of musical instruments fill the air as patrons from Western North Carolina dance in the grassy area to the sound of music playing from the 440th Army Band at the Antler Hill Village of the Biltmore Estates on July 1, 2026.
The 440th Army Band is the first Army National Guard band to conduct a concert at the Biltmore Estates since its establishment in 1895. This event commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the United States.
“I hope in my lifetime I never see it [live performances] go away but there is so much readily available to current generations digitally that live performances… are not as common as they used to be,” said Jeff Ralls, the senior manager for group and affiliate sales of the Biltmore Estates. “I think that this is something that our public needs to see as often as they can, to continue that patriotic feel and sense of patriotism. The performances were amazing!”
The 440th Army Band traces its roots back to World War II, originally activated as the 30th Infantry Division Band. Their state mission is to support the North Carolina National Guard by participating in community outreach and other activities to interact with the public and increase awareness of the National Guard using music.
“We’re trying to make an emotional response with music; being able to connect with people face to face and answer the questions,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tyson Sterne, the commander of the 440th Army Band. “I got out of the Guard for a while and went to the Reserves, but this is why I came back; to make those connections with people. The Guard does it so much better.”
The Band conducts annual training every year, but since Hurricane Helene hit Western NC in 2024, the 440th Band made it a goal to reach out to those most affected. Their goal was reached this year.
“When I got here, I was looking at where we had performed mostly and where we had not performed,” said Sterne. “There was that part of it, and that this area had been hit by Hurricane Helene, so we wanted to show our faces and make the connection and acknowledge the troubles and the resilience of the people in the communities out in this area.”
To prepare for their annual training, the Band conducts numerous smaller concerts ranging from ceremonies to public concerts to parades. There are obstacles service members face but learn to work through them.
“The biggest [obstacles] is our rehearsals because as a National Guard Band, we only get to rehearse one weekend a month which is significantly less frequent than pretty much any other music group out there, so being able to get together and basically hear how other people are playing is how our part fits into the bigger picture,” said Sgt Yuri Li, a musician assigned to the 440th Army Band. “The limited time that we have for rehearsals is hugely important.”
In addition to preparing for the concert, service members travel to various locations in five days not knowing exactly what to expect.
“For AT [annual training], we have to maintain a degree of flexibility with what we’re doing,” said Li. “The organizers may have something that pops up last minute, so we don’t find out exactly where we will be located until we get to the site sometimes. We generally do bring all the equipment we need just in case the venue doesn’t provide something specific that we need. And of course, the sound team must get there early to set up everything; a huge respect to them.”
The Biltmore was established in 1895 by George Vanderbilt. The name Biltmore was chosen because George wanted a reflection of his Dutch ancestry while describing the countryside. “Bildt” was a region in the Netherlands where the Vanderbilt family originated, and “More” is an old English/Anglo-Saxon word meaning open, rolling land. This massive estate is 175,000 square feet, surrounded by 8,000 acres consisting of 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. It has been a coming attraction for NC residents since its inception.
“I have to believe George looked out over these mountains, fell in love and said this is where I want to build a home,” said Ralls. “He was so innovative and so forward-thinking. Even though initially, this wasn’t going to be his primary residence, it did turn into that.”
The unit continued their tour with a visit to Blowing Rock and King, NC.
“Obviously morale is a pretty important function of military bands, in the modern day in addition to pragmatic and PR functions, so while I am doing exactly what I signed up to do, so that does make me happy, and there are quite a few band members that have actively assisted during the Helene operations,” said Li. “It’s been a while since the 440th has been able to come out to Western NC, and I am glad that they seem to be recovering nicely from Helene.”