Harrisonburg High School students, faculty and community members have been disappointed for a second time in five years after “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band cancelled a concert scheduled at the high school tonight.
In 2020, the band was to scheduled to perform but cancelled because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Now, the band has cancelled because of the federal government shutdown after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on funding the budget by midnight on September 30, 2025.
“Our Harrisonburg and greater Shenandoah Valley community is deeply disappointed that tonight’s Marine Band concert has been cancelled,” Harrisonburg High School Director of Bands Daniel Upton said.
As part of its 2025 National Concert Tour, Harrisonburg High was to be the U.S. Marine Band‘s first of 30 concerts in 30 days scheduled in 10 states. Other dates have not yet been cancelled, according to the band’s website.
The band’s next stop was to be in Beckley, West Virginia at Woodrow Wilson High School on the night of October 2.
The following message appeared on the band’s website Wednesday morning: “Due to the government shutdown, the Marine Band will be unable to perform public facing concerts until further notice. We will resume events upon established government funding. We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause for our patrons.”
According to Upton, the concert at Harrisonburg High will not be rescheduled.
“Our students were especially eager to experience musicians of such high caliber in person and to see our former student teacher, Andrew Ribo, perform with the euphonium section. We remain hopeful for future opportunities to share performances like this with our community.”
A month ago in a press release, the high school shared the news of the band’s scheduled concert appearance.
“We are incredibly excited to continue the tradition of our national concert tour. Musicians of the band are more eager than ever to share their musical talents with audiences live, and in-person on this year’s tour,” Marine Band Director Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin said.
Nowlin programmed musical selections in the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891, for the 2025 National Concert Tour. The program was to include traditional band repertoire, Sousa marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and a patriotic salute to the Armed Forces.
“We have tremendously appreciative patrons who come to Marine Band concerts for all types of different experiences, so our programs are designed to include a great variety of music that mirrors the wonderful diversity in our national musical heritage,” Nowlin said.
In 1891, President Benjamin Harrison gave Sousa and the band permission to tour the country and allow Americans to experience the music of the White House away from Washington, D.C.
The band was to perform in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Founded in 1798, the Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization and has performed for every U.S. President since John Adams. Known as “The President’s Own” since Thomas Jefferson served as president in the early 1800s, the Marine Band’s mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
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Rebecca Barnabi
