The United States Marine Band will play a free concert at the Clover School District Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 29. The 7:30 p.m. show marks the band's first visit to Clover in a decade.
The performance is part of a 30-day national tour celebrating the country's 250th anniversary, the Rock Hill Herald first reported. The tour spans 27 concerts in seven states, mostly across the Southeast.
Residents across the Lake Wylie and Clover area can reserve up to four free tickets by calling auditorium Program Director David Yandle at 803-222-8018. Online ticketing is not available, and the auditorium's website notes tickets cannot be purchased through third-party vendors.
Seats are general admission. Ticket holders must be in their seats by 7:15 p.m. Any unclaimed seats after that will go to people in a standby line. The auditorium, at 1625 Highway 55 East near Clover High School, holds about 1,500 people.
Known formally as "The President's Own," the Marine Band is the country's oldest continuously active professional music organization. An act of Congress established it in 1798, and it has performed for every president since John Adams. Thomas Jefferson gave the band its "President's Own" nickname.
The Clover program, directed by Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin with Capt. Jose D. Toranzo as assistant director, mixes patriotic marches with film and Broadway music, according to the band's published program. The lineup includes two Sousa marches, Shostakovich's Festive Overture and John Williams' "Adventures on Earth" from E.T. Master Sgt. Hiram Diaz will solo on euphonium for Dennis Llinás's Variations on La Comparsa, a 2026 composition. Staff Sgt. Hannah Davis, soprano and concert moderator, will perform selections from Wicked.
The band's touring tradition dates to 1891, when John Philip Sousa was its director.
The concert is part of the Clover School District Auditorium Performing Arts Series, now in its 25th season. A Marine Corps advance team has already visited the venue to prepare for the Oct. 29 show.
