Virginia International Tattoo 2017
The Pipes and Drums of Christchurch City performed in the 21st Virginia International Tattoo, held in 2017 from 23 to 30 April.
This tattoo is the main event of the Virginia Arts Festival and is the largest show of its kind in the United States. It is staged each year in the Scope Arena, an indoor stadium in the American city of Norfolk. Modelled after the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, it combines military pageantry with a celebration of culture.
The 2017 show was dedicated to two related centennials.
The first centennial was America's entry into the First World War on 6 April, 2017. The Tattoo paid homage to those who served in the conflict by including moving tributes to their role in the conflict. Historic wartime film was projected on to a big screen behind the performers, and unforgettable music of the WWI era by John Phillip Souza, Gustav Holst and Irving Berlin introduced a sense of nostalgia.
The second centennial was the establishment of Naval Station Norfolk during the Great War. The world's largest naval base and the engine of the US Navy, it is home to scores
of ships and aircraft carriers, and a major centre for training pilots. The Tattoo tribute comprised performances by naval groups and a rousing musical salute by the Navy's own Fleet Forces Band.
The band also performed at public venues and local schools each day during the Tattoo period. These concerts were enjoyable and a fun time for both us and our audiences. The children were particularly fascinated by the sound of our music, the instruments we played, the uniforms we wore and, of course, our kiwi accents. Being able to meet and talk to the Americans after each concert was a rewarding experience for all our members.
2017 Virginia International Tattoo
While in America, we did the tourist thing.
The highlights included:
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A visit to the National Maritime Centre in Norfolk where we had a guided tour of the USS Wisconsin, now a museum ship. Launched in 1943, it was one of the famous Iowa-class battleships that operated in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It also saw active service in the Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War.
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The opportunity to experience street culture in the big cities at night.
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A walk around the National Mall in Washington D.C. This large open space is home to America’s most iconic buildings and monuments: the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian museums, the domed U.S. Capitol on the eastern side, and the White House to the north.
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Two days visiting New York City’s most famous sites:
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Statue of Liberty
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Central Park
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National 9/11 Memorial
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Empire State building
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Broadway
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Rockefeller Centre
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Trump Tower (the first five floors are open to the public).
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The following day, the band flew to Moscow for its next engagement: The Parade of the Immortal Regiment. One of the first things we did in Moscow was to have a guided tour of the Kremlin.
The world has certainly changed since the Cold War era. Who then would have thought that members of the general public would have the opportunity to spend time in the building the American President calls his home, and then two days later take a stroll through the Kremlin!