thedrifter
01-16-09, 07:14 AM
Posted on January 16, 2009 4:59 AM
Inauguration to host Penn State musician
By Kyle Wall
Collegian Staff Writer
Trading in her viola for an M-16 rifle wasn't easy for Jennifer Lewis.
The Penn State student and member of the United States Army Orchestra was forced to give up her instrument for 10 weeks last fall while training at Fort Jackson, a military training base in Columbia, S.C.
On Sunday, she will combine her dual roles of trained soldier and gifted instrumentalist to take part in a concert honoring the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Lewis will perform with a military orchestra that includes members of the Air Force, Army and Marines at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" in Washington, D.C. The concert -- to be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Sunday on HBO -- will feature performances and readings by a slew of celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, James Taylor, Denzel Washington and Usher.
"We were hoping we'd be involved at some point, but we thought it would maybe just be a luncheon or something," Lewis said, adding she only found out she would be performing a few days before rehearsals.
The opportunity to take part in the historic inauguration of Obama as a music-oriented member of the military is special for Lewis because members of her husband's side of the family were involved in military-related music groups a generation prior.
"His dad was a trumpet player in the Air Force band, and his mom sang in the Air Force 'Singing Sergeants,' " she said, adding she is the first generation of her own family to join the military.
Before becoming involved with the armed forces, Lewis, 23, received a bachelor's degree in viola performance from Indiana University. She then came to Penn State as a graduate student to further master the instrument under the guidance of Penn State Viola Ensemble Director Timothy Deighton.
After learning of an opening in the Army Orchestra, Lewis (graduate-viola performance) enlisted and was sent to Fort Jackson on Sept. 11, 2008. Though her position in the Army was as a musician, those in command did not treat her any differently, Lewis said.
"I was doing exactly what any other soldier would be doing," she said. "Because we're in war right now, we were involved with hand-to-hand combat activities and we did combatives every week."
But for Lewis, spending 10 weeks away from the viola was the hardest part.
"I practiced on my rifle and pretended it was the fingerboard of my viola just to remind myself that there was a normal life that I was coming back to," she said.
Lewis wasn't alone in drawing a connection between the two main instruments in her life.
"Her colleagues in the viola studio were amused to see photos of her at basic training with a machine gun in her hands instead of a viola," Deighton said. "We wondered if perhaps the fact that she performed so well as a sniper attests to the hand-eye coordination she has developed over the years as a musician."
Training at Fort Jackson in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, the soldiers were completely sheltered from the day-to-day drama of the campaign, putting politics aside for the most part. But after the news of Obama's victory broke a few days after the election, some soldiers -- regardless of party -- couldn't help but become emotional, Lewis said.
"Everyone at Fort Jackson was mainly Republican, but it was all really interesting," she said. "It was amazing to see the African Americans who were there just screaming and running through the halls."
With Obama days away from being sworn in, Lewis said she is looking forward to performing alongside the stars -- James Taylor and Beyonce, in particular -- and marching in the inaugural parade.
And while Lewis is about to receive her master's degree in the instrument she loves, much bigger issues weigh on the mind of this Penn Stater in the United States Army.
"I'm just hoping for a change, for a better America," Jennifer said. "I see a real leader in Obama, and I feel like he'll do great things for the country."
Ellie
Inauguration to host Penn State musician
By Kyle Wall
Collegian Staff Writer
Trading in her viola for an M-16 rifle wasn't easy for Jennifer Lewis.
The Penn State student and member of the United States Army Orchestra was forced to give up her instrument for 10 weeks last fall while training at Fort Jackson, a military training base in Columbia, S.C.
On Sunday, she will combine her dual roles of trained soldier and gifted instrumentalist to take part in a concert honoring the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Lewis will perform with a military orchestra that includes members of the Air Force, Army and Marines at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" in Washington, D.C. The concert -- to be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Sunday on HBO -- will feature performances and readings by a slew of celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, James Taylor, Denzel Washington and Usher.
"We were hoping we'd be involved at some point, but we thought it would maybe just be a luncheon or something," Lewis said, adding she only found out she would be performing a few days before rehearsals.
The opportunity to take part in the historic inauguration of Obama as a music-oriented member of the military is special for Lewis because members of her husband's side of the family were involved in military-related music groups a generation prior.
"His dad was a trumpet player in the Air Force band, and his mom sang in the Air Force 'Singing Sergeants,' " she said, adding she is the first generation of her own family to join the military.
Before becoming involved with the armed forces, Lewis, 23, received a bachelor's degree in viola performance from Indiana University. She then came to Penn State as a graduate student to further master the instrument under the guidance of Penn State Viola Ensemble Director Timothy Deighton.
After learning of an opening in the Army Orchestra, Lewis (graduate-viola performance) enlisted and was sent to Fort Jackson on Sept. 11, 2008. Though her position in the Army was as a musician, those in command did not treat her any differently, Lewis said.
"I was doing exactly what any other soldier would be doing," she said. "Because we're in war right now, we were involved with hand-to-hand combat activities and we did combatives every week."
But for Lewis, spending 10 weeks away from the viola was the hardest part.
"I practiced on my rifle and pretended it was the fingerboard of my viola just to remind myself that there was a normal life that I was coming back to," she said.
Lewis wasn't alone in drawing a connection between the two main instruments in her life.
"Her colleagues in the viola studio were amused to see photos of her at basic training with a machine gun in her hands instead of a viola," Deighton said. "We wondered if perhaps the fact that she performed so well as a sniper attests to the hand-eye coordination she has developed over the years as a musician."
Training at Fort Jackson in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, the soldiers were completely sheltered from the day-to-day drama of the campaign, putting politics aside for the most part. But after the news of Obama's victory broke a few days after the election, some soldiers -- regardless of party -- couldn't help but become emotional, Lewis said.
"Everyone at Fort Jackson was mainly Republican, but it was all really interesting," she said. "It was amazing to see the African Americans who were there just screaming and running through the halls."
With Obama days away from being sworn in, Lewis said she is looking forward to performing alongside the stars -- James Taylor and Beyonce, in particular -- and marching in the inaugural parade.
And while Lewis is about to receive her master's degree in the instrument she loves, much bigger issues weigh on the mind of this Penn Stater in the United States Army.
"I'm just hoping for a change, for a better America," Jennifer said. "I see a real leader in Obama, and I feel like he'll do great things for the country."
Ellie