SU Ancient Drum and Fife Corps and alumna perform in Syracuse Symphony’s ‘An American Tribute’ May 18-19

SU Ancient Drum and Fife Corps and alumna perform in Syracuse Symphony’s ‘An American Tribute’ May 18-19May 18, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

To commemorate the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the Syracuse University Ancient Drum and Fife Corps and SU alumna Holly Bingham ’89 of the U.S. Army Band will perform as part of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra’s (SSO) M&T Bank Pops Series Concert “An American Tribute,” Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, at 8 p.m. at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center at Oncenter. The SSO is a community partner with SU’s Pulse. Tickets start at $18 and can be purchased by calling the SSO at (315) 424-8200 or (800) 724-3810 or by visiting http://www.syracusesymphony.org.

SSO Music Director Daniel Hege will lead Bingham, the Syracuse Symphony Pops Chorus (directed by Lou Lemos), the SU Ancient Fife and Drum Corps (directed by Michael Bull, affiliate artist in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts) and the SSO in this tribute to America. The program spans the early days of fife and drum in the 1700s to modern popular songs by George M. Cohan, John Philip Sousa and George Gershwin. The performance will feature favorites such as “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Armed Forces Salute” and “God Bless the USA.”

A native of Potomac, Md., Sgt. Bingham earned a bachelor’s degree in musical theater from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in 1989 and later joined the U.S. Army Chorale. For the past 11 years, she has been a soloist with the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” in Fort Myer, Va. Sgt. Bingham also teaches voice and piano, and performs at special events.

The SU Ancient Fife and Drum Corps perform music from the early 1700s through the 20th century on period replica instruments. Established in 2004 by Bull, the purpose of the corps is to serve as a concert-ceremonial group to keep alive a rich historical tradition. They perform educational concerts and also play for enjoyment.

For more information, visit the SSO at http://www.syracusesymphony.org.