The 25th Army Band is a military band

Military band

A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...

 based in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

 in the United States.

The band was originally organized in the fall of 1925 as the Band Section, Headquarters 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team

116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team

The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is the largest formation of the Idaho Army National Guard. It is headquartered at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. It has been reorganized into a Heavy Brigade Combat Team . The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team has units located throughout Idaho, Montana, and...

, the largest formation of the Idaho Army National Guard

Idaho Army National Guard

The Idaho Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...

, and was located in Caldwell, Idaho

Caldwell, Idaho

Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 43,281, as of July 2009.Caldwell is the home of the College of Idaho. It is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area....

. The band was activated for a period of five years during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and served in France. In 1954 the 25th Army Band was again activated for federal service and stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. They played a weekly radio show, which aired for ten years. The band returned to Caldwell, Idaho in 1956 and resumed National Guard status. In 1988 the band moved to Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...

 where it is currently based, and performs regularly in the Boise Valley.

Significant events

• During the summer of 1993, the 25th Army Band traveled to perform in France for Annual Training. The Band spent three days in Paris playing at the U. S. Residency for Ambassador Pamela Harriman
  Pamela Harriman
  Pamela Beryl Harriman , also known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, was an English-born socialite who was married and linked to important and powerful men. In later life, she became a political activist for the United States Democratic Party and a diplomat...
  
  ’s official installation. Attendance at this event numbered over 5,000 dignitaries and celebrities. In attendance were Lauren Bacall
  Lauren Bacall
  Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
  
  , Joan Collins
  Joan Collins
  Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
  
   and the son of Charles de Gaulle
  Charles de Gaulle
  Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
  
  . There were Ambassadors, Prime ministers, military leaders and dignitaries from over seventy countries. The remaining eight days were spent in Southern France performing concerts, receptions and parades on the Riviera.
• The summer of 1994, the Band traveled to Costa Rica
  Costa Rica
  Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
  
   for twelve days to play at the Ambassador’s Residency for a 4th of July celebration for over 5,000 Americans and their dependents residing in San Jose
  San Jose, California
  San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
  
   and the surrounding area. During that evening, the Band played for a formal diplomatic reception.
• In June 2002, the 25th Army Band traveled to Calgary
  Calgary
  Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
  
   and Edmonton
  Edmonton
  Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
  
  , Canada. Performances were played at the Calgary Stampede
  Calgary Stampede
  The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
  
   and at the Station Forces base, (Canadian Army.)
• In August 2005, the Band performed for President George W. Bush
  George W. Bush
  George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
  
   for his first ever visit to Idaho.
• In October 2005, 400+ Soldiers & Airmen of the Idaho National Guard (including the band) spent a month in southern Louisiana to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This marked the first time in its history that the band was deployed for something other than music.

Awards

Many of the former commanders live in the Treasure Valley including Bill Rankin, Don Roblyer, Jerry Howard, Don Bell, Kathryn Hanson and Dennis Keck and are very active in the music scene throughout the valley.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kevin C. Durfee received official notification of appointment to serve as the next commander in March 2003. Chief Durfee holds a Master of Arts degree (Music Education) from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

The Band is stationed at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. Members are traditional Guard soldiers that live throughout Southwestern Idaho. Their primary mission is to provide musical support to the members of the Guard, the citizens of Idaho and the United States or as overseas missions require. The Band performs primarily within the State of Idaho.

The 25th Army Band has been awarded three unit citations. In 1983 the Band was awarded the State of Idaho Meritorious Unit Award for superior mission performance. In 1988, the Band was awarded the Adjutant General’s Outstanding Unit Award for exceptional meritorious and superior performance. This award was presented a second time to the Band in 1994.

Ensembles

The 25th Army Band comprises different musical segments; the concert band, The Jazz Militia, the marching band and many small combo groups playing dixieland jazz, brass ensemble, woodwind quintet, rock and country and western music:

• Large Group Ensembles: traditional military music ensembles formed from the union of several music support teams
• Ceremonial Band: an ensemble of 50+ members playing traditional Army ceremonial and concert music.
• Marching Band
• The Jazz Militia
• Music Performance Teams: specialized music support teams playing styles varying from rock and roll to classic quintet music
• Uncle Sam - Rock Band: a large popular music rnsemble performing covers of rock, country, and funk music.
• Snake River Jazz Combo
• Weapons of Brass Destruction: a brass quintet
• Tuba Soldiers
• Mayday Saxophone Ensemble
• Woodwind Battalion: a woodwind quintet