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<\/p>\nSound of Service: UTEP and Fort Bliss Bands in Concert\u2019 set for Nov. 12 <\/p>\n
EL PASO, Texas (July 21, 2026) \u2013 UTEP Bands will host a concert and educational initiative in partnership with the 1st Armored Division Band at Fort Bliss in honor of the nation\u2019s 250th birthday. The effort is supported by a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). \n<\/p>\n
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Brandon Houghtalen, D.M.A., UTEP associate director of bands, led a project that includes a concert and educational initiative in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday in partnership with the 1st Armored Division Band at Fort Bliss. The effort earned a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). \n<\/p>\n
The project celebrates the life and work of James Reese Europe, a U.S. soldier and legendary bandleader whose service during World War I played a major role in the development and international spread of jazz music.<\/p>\n
Europe led the military band of the 369th Infantry Regiment \u201cHarlem Hellfighters,\u201d a New York-based unit consisting entirely of African American and Puerto Rican soldiers. The band played in France in 1918 and on tour in the U.S. after they returned in 1919, introducing European and American audiences to new musical styles while boosting troop morale.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was an entrepreneur, a composer and a bandleader. I really would have liked to have eaten lunch with him,\u201d said Brandon Houghtalen, D.M.A., UTEP associate director of bands and principal investigator of the project.<\/p>\n
UTEP is one of only 33 recipients of this round of NEA grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 to support public-facing arts projects featuring performances and educational programming with U.S. military bands.<\/p>\n
The UTEP project, \u201cThe Sound of Service: James Reese Europe and the Evolution of American Military Music,\u201d includes the publication of music transcriptions, educational materials and a concert in November featuring military music by Europe and others.<\/p>\n
Houghtalen answered the call for submissions in January after recognizing its relevance to his research. As a graduate student, he arranged pieces made famous by the 369th Infantry Band for his doctoral recital and has refined the transcriptions ever since.<\/p>\n
Those transcriptions, for the songs \u201cSt. Louis Blues,\u201d \u201cMemphis Blues\u201d and \u201cClef Club March,\u201d will be published by Murphy Music Press with accompanying materials, placing the work in historical and cultural context for teachers and musicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to play my arrangement, you\u2019re going to play the version of the \u2018St. Louis Blues\u2019 that you would have heard the 369th play in France or on tour in 1919,\u201d Houghtalen said.<\/p>\n
The Harlem Hellfighters and other military bands influenced Gen. John Pershing, wartime commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, who founded the U.S. Army Band in 1922 while serving as General of the Armies, Army Chief of Staff. Pershing was stationed at Fort Bliss before the war.<\/p>\n
The concert, \u201cSound of Service: UTEP and Fort Bliss Bands in Concert,\u201d will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 2026, at Magoffin Auditorium. UTEP students will perform alongside members of the 1st Armored Division Band, a U.S. Army musical ensemble that supports military ceremonies, troop morale and community relations across the greater El Paso region.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou needed to partner with a local military band for the grant, and the 1st Armored Division Band is right here, and they\u2019re great,\u201d Houghtalen said. \u201cWe have worked with them several times before, at least once a year, for several years.\u201d<\/p>\n
A panel discussion with UTEP faculty and members of the 1st Armored Division Band will be held earlier that evening at 6 p.m. in Magoffin Auditorium. Both events are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n
The concert will take place the day after Veterans Day, which originated as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I.<\/p>\n
Last Updated on July 21, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published July 21, 2026<\/p>\n
By MC Staff
\n UTEP Marketing and Communications
\n<\/p>\n
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