Spirit of Springfield hosts Air Force Academy Concert Band
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Spirit of Springfield held its 30th Air Force Academy Concert Band event on Sunday, honoring the past and present of the military through music.
The concert is held annually at Springfield Symphony Hall, drawing in large crowds to support troops both locally and across the country. The Air Force Academy Concert Band came from their base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to perform at this special event.
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22News' own Julia O'Keefe served as the MC for this concert, and she shared what this opportunity meant to her.
'Judy Matt and the Spirit of Springfield do such a great job putting on these events to bring the western Massachusetts community together,' O'Keefe said. 'And I think this event in particular is so special, because we're celebrating the armed forces but also the arts, bringing together two really important pieces of our community.'
Local officials also spoke at the event, including Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Barnes Air National Guard Base Colonel Michael 'Shot' Glass, and Westover Air Reserve Base Colonel Gregory Buchanan.
The Air Force Academy Concert Band, made up of over 50 musicians, has performed all across New England and has two more concerts in Massachusetts after Sunday's show.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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