Dinner is Served

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a State Dinner

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A conductor on a riser leading seated musicians, all in uniform (White House Photographic Office/Karl Schumacher)

The U.S. Marine Band plays during dancing at the state dinner hosted by President Gerald Ford for Liberian President William Tolbert Jr. and his wife September 21, 1976. (White House Photographic Office/Karl Schumacher)

The U.S. Marine Band plays during dancing at the state dinner hosted by President Gerald Ford for Liberian President William Tolbert Jr. and his wife September 21, 1976. (White House Photographic Office/Karl Schumacher)

U.S. Marine Band director

Band performing on the roof of the White House with a crowd below (© Alex Brandon/AP)

Guests in the Rose Garden listen as musicians perform on the roof of the White House during a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison September 20, 2019. (© Alex Brandon/AP)

Guests in the Rose Garden listen as musicians perform on the roof of the White House during a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison September 20, 2019. (© Alex Brandon/AP)

Talented! The Marine Band comes to state dinners ready to play music favored by the president, first lady and their guests of honor. The evening kicks off with a rendition of “Hail, America,” which is often followed by popular tunes of the day. Colonel Jason K. Fettig, the band’s current director, remembers playing on the White House roof at the 2019 dinner for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “It was the strangest perspective to be conducting and to turn around and see 300 guests in the Rose Garden below me,” he says. “It was a miracle that it did not rain.”

“Hail, America” by George Drumm performed by the U.S. Marine Band (U.S. Marine Band)

“Hail, America” by George Drumm performed by the U.S. Marine Band (U.S. Marine Band)

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