Lt. Col. Dwayne Milburn, left, commander and conductor of the U.S. Army Europe band and chorus, leads the band in a rendition of "Fantasia in G" during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The band will play two more dates in its Christmas series, with performances in Pforzheim Dec. 7 and Grafenwoehr Dec. 8. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Col. Dwayne Milburn, left, commander and conductor of the U.S. Army Europe band and chorus, leads the band in a rendition of "Fantasia in G" during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The band will play two more dates in its Christmas series, with performances in Pforzheim Dec. 7 and Grafenwoehr Dec. 8. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Army Europe band and chorus performs during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The band played Christmas favorites ranging from Handel's "Messiah" to the "Nutcracker" suite. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Army Europe band and chorus performs during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The neoclassical Kurhaus served as an impressive venue for the performance, held for six straight years there. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the U.S. Army Europe band play a flute and clarinet solo during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The two-hour-long concert featured classics such as Handel's "Messiah" and "Winter Wonderland." (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the U.S. Army Europe band and chorus perform "Joyful, Joyful" during a Christmas concert at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. This is the band's sixth annual performance at the Kurhaus, a tradition the garrison commander said he would like to continue. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Wiesbaden’s Kurhaus was filled with the sounds of the season Wednesday night, as the U.S. Army Europe band and chorus played more than two hours’ worth of classical and modern Christmas favorites for hundreds of attendees.
The neoclassical spa house, completed in 1907, served as the venue for the band’s Christmas concert for the sixth year running, a tradition Col. Todd Fish, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, is keen to continue.
“The plan is to continue this — it’s supported by the state, the city, the band and USAG Wiesbaden,” Fish said. “You could not pick a better setting than here at the Kurhaus for the community.”
The band will continue its holiday program with concerts Dec. 7 in Pforzheim and Dec. 8 in Grafenwoehr.
The concert began with the more traditional sounds of classical pieces such as Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Messiah” and Georges Bizet’s “March of the Three Kings” before transitioning to more modern and vocal-oriented songs such as “Winter Wonderland” and “Joyful, Joyful.”
The performance was much-appreciated by the audience at the concert hall, who gave the band and choir a pair of standing ovations after the final song and an encore.
Fish said the concert is a way for the U.S. military to show their gratitude to their host city.
“It’s our opportunity to give something back to the city of Wiesbaden and the state of Hessen, because they have welcomed us with open arms when we moved here all those years ago.”
Stoutamire.dan@stripes.com Twitter: @DKS_Stripes
