Musical ambassadors return to USAFE

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SEMBACH AIR BASE, Germany --  Airmen of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band have returned here after performing 19 public outreach concerts for over 8,000 people in six Eastern European countries. 

The Direct Hit popular music combo brought the sounds of rhythm and blues, soul and today's pop to audiences in Moldova and Bulgaria. Wings of Dixie and The USAFE Clarinet Quartet showcased classics of Dixieland and American chamber music in Latvia and Lithuania, while the Winds Aloft and Five Star Brass quintets entertained concert-goers in Estonia and Finland. 

For most audience members, it was the first time they had seen and spoke with members of the U.S. armed forces. 

"Events like these would not have been possible 15 to 20 years ago," said TSgt. Vincent Dublino, NCO in charge of Direct Hit. "It's great that today we are not only able to come and share our culture with the countries of the former Soviet bloc, we are performing joint concerts with their military musicians." 

Working with U.S. embassies in host countries, USAFE bandsmen covered a spectrum of performance venues and concert settings: from the state-of-the-art concert halls to Baroque cathedrals, from imposing chambers of the Lithuanian Parliament to the intimate setting of a small-town music society. 

One of the most memorable events of the tour was a performance/master class and question-and-answer session at one a music boarding school in Riga, Latvia. 

An emotional highlight of the week was a memorial service for the crew of a U.S. Navy aircraft that went down off the coast of Latvia in 1950 and was never recovered. Master Sgt. Andy Held performed Taps for the missing crew members, while the Latvian Military Band honored their memory with the performance of the U.S. national anthem. 

The band invited a special guest for performances in Moldova and Bulgaria: Staff Sgt. Vladimir Tchekan, a virtuoso trombonist and former Air Force bandsman. The Moldova native is now stationed in Germany as an interpreter. 

Fluent in both Moldovan and Russian, Sergeant Tchekan not only announced and translated during the concerts, but also earned the audience's standing ovation for his interpretation of popular jazz standards. It was the first time he performed in his home country onstage in his blue Air Force uniform. His father, brother and friends were in the audience. 

"It is vitally important for us to not only provide a world-class entertainment, but to come with the reassurance of the values America is known for the world over," said Sergeant Dublino. "And we do it face-to-face, with a friendly and positive image." 

Some of the most rewarding experiences of the entire tour were the times when the USAFE Band musicians shared the stage with military musicians of the host nations, he said. Throughout the 3-day tour of Latvia, The USAFE Clarinet Quartet was joined by the clarinet quartet of the Latvian General Military Headquarters Band. 

In Lithuania, the Wings of Dixie were joined by a group of the Lithuanian Air Force Band members for a rousing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In, which brought the entire audience to its feet. 

"After only two to three days, we've realized that we are much more than just colleagues," said Sgt. Guntars Gedroics, a clarinetist from Latvian Military Band. "We are friends."