Showcasing the Brass in Blue in Dickinson concert

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The U.S. Air Force will make its presence known in Dickinson this week, not with airplanes or weapons, but with musical instruments.

Brass in Blue, an ensemble with the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, will present a concert featuring a medley of military marches, pop favorites, light jazz and a salute to veterans.

“It’s a community event, family friendly — we run the gamut in terms of music,” said Tech. Sgt. Alex J. Serwatowski, tubist and operations coordinator for the band. “We really are the face of the Air Force — we love to get out into the community, to tell the Air Force story.”

The concert is 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Trinity High School Auditorium, 810 Empire Road. Tickets are free and may be obtained at The Dickinson Press.

Brass in Blue consists of 10 brass players, a percussionist and a vocalist. Master Sgt. Ryan Heseltine is the noncommissioned officer-in-charge.

“We’re all professional musicians — almost without exception we are college-educated, many with master’s degrees or doctorates in performance and music education,” Serwatowski said. “We represent more than 300,000 Air Force members.”

The Dickinson performance is part of an upcoming 10-day tour of the Upper Midwest, in which the ensemble heads north from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., travels through North Dakota and circles back to Nebraska.

While in Dickinson, the performers will teach in a workshop at Dickinson State University on Thursday involving college and high school music students.

“It’s always important for students to have outside opportunities, especially working with musicians performing on a regular basis — they have insights we don’t always have in the classroom,” said Bruce Southard, chairman of the DSU music department.

The workshop concludes with a free performance at 11 a.m. Thursday in the DSU Student Center ballroom.

“It’s another way the Air Force band gives back,” Serwatowski said. “We like to get into the schools to promote music.”

For ticket information, call 701-225-8111. Doors are open at 6 p.m. Ticket-holders are admitted first in the auditorium. Ten minutes before the perform

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