UTEP, 1st Armored Division Band to Host Concert Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday
Sound of Service: UTEP and Fort Bliss Bands in Concert’ set for Nov. 12
EL PASO, Texas (July 21, 2026) – 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’s 250th birthday. The effort is supported by a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
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.
Europe led the military band of the 369th Infantry Regiment “Harlem Hellfighters,” 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.
“He was an entrepreneur, a composer and a bandleader. I really would have liked to have eaten lunch with him,” said Brandon Houghtalen, D.M.A., UTEP associate director of bands and principal investigator of the project.
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.
The UTEP project, “The Sound of Service: James Reese Europe and the Evolution of American Military Music,” includes the publication of music transcriptions, educational materials and a concert in November featuring military music by Europe and others.
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.
Those transcriptions, for the songs “St. Louis Blues,” “Memphis Blues” and “Clef Club March,” will be published by Murphy Music Press with accompanying materials, placing the work in historical and cultural context for teachers and musicians.
“If you’re going to play my arrangement, you’re going to play the version of the ‘St. Louis Blues’ that you would have heard the 369th play in France or on tour in 1919,” Houghtalen said.
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.
The concert, “Sound of Service: UTEP and Fort Bliss Bands in Concert,” 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.
“You needed to partner with a local military band for the grant, and the 1st Armored Division Band is right here, and they’re great,” Houghtalen said. “We have worked with them several times before, at least once a year, for several years.”
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.
The concert will take place the day after Veterans Day, which originated as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I.
Last Updated on July 21, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published July 21, 2026
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
