Sunday was opening day at Chautauqua, and like all Sundays during the 9-week season, admission was free. Ginger, my BFF from New York City, is visiting us this week for the holiday. She joined me Sunday as the interim president of Chautauqua Institution opened its 153rd season just before the morning church service.

There is something about attending church with a couple of thousand people that stirs my spirit. At Chautauqua, one can experience that many souls offering the Lord’s Prayer in one voice. Together with the 60-member blue-robed choir, we raised our 2000 voices together in stirring song. I had trouble not smiling between the notes because the experience was so heartfelt, so affirmative.

After the church service, I bumped into some old friends I hadn’t seen in 25 years and we chatted until the amphitheater emptied. We enjoyed fond memories, old laughs, and moaned a bit about how much life had changed at our stage of the game. When finally parted ways, I carried away those smiles along with the thoughtful sermon words from church.

Ginger and I picked up a leisurely lunch nearby and since we had the time, we chatted, just hanging out, until our 3 o’clock concert. The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus, known as Pershing’s Own, were performing.

Yes, it was getting warm, but the 90-minute band concert was really cool. After the opening Star-Spangled Banner, approximately six dozen instrumentalists and singers performed a broad variety of music – with amazing talent.

I have to stop and insert here: I realized when I finished this column that I wrote about the Navy Sea Chanters chorus just four months ago after seeing them at the Fredonia Opera House. But Sunday’s concert was a large band with many vocalists. I am so enamored of the precision, the perfection, the holy-wow aspect of these military music makers that I have to tell you about them.

Sunday’s flute soloist played a classical Concerto for Flute that was such a virtuoso performance, the young woman flutist was praised with a standing ovation. I’ve been lucky to know and listen to many top-notch flute players in my day. Other than the world-famous James Galway, I have never heard anything to rival what this young soldier played on Sunday. She triple-tongued her way through complicated, difficult music, and brought the house down.

And naturally it wasn’t all classical music. They played some jazz, some American Songbook classics, some folk music, and naturally, one Sousa march. But they keep up to date – they also included an excellent rap sequence. Three overhead screens followed the rapper’s words, allowing the audience to keep up, to register everything being said. Fun.

The second rap number was all about the Army. I realized that in addition to informing us concertgoers about military life, this rap must be a terrific recruiting tool. The camouflage-garbed singer hopped, skipped, and danced to his lyrics, leaving the audience breathless. And I was surprised that the same audience that gave a standing ovation to the flutist stood, raved, and cheered the rap artist. Amazing.

All the music was grand, the small groups, quartets, and the soloists. But the last standing-O went to a singer with Whitney Houston’s voice, range, and ability to hold a strong high note for a week and a half. She was phenomenal and I bet Whitney is looking down on her with approval. The audience LOVED her – leapt to their feet.

I’m always amazed at the different armed services bands and orchestras. The talent they attract leads a totally different lifestyle compared to musicians on the “outside.” First, they must audition for the musical groups for acceptance. And then they attend boot camp and training like any other soldier. They even have to requalify on rifle once a year. The musical ability of those accepted is of such a high standard that many retire to civilian orchestra seats.

The band performs more than 400 concerts annually across all 50 states and 25 countries, adapting its programming to suit everything from prestigious concert halls to school assemblies. They play at military graduations, change of command ceremonies, and important national and local events. They play in parades and march – with precision. They spread awareness and goodwill to both military and civilian audiences.

When there’s a war, if a military band is part of a Division, the band’s primary mission is division headquarters security, and POW processing, another trained duty. In places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they also played morale music, sending small music units out to play for soldiers in other areas.

My takeaway is that military music leaves happiness wherever it goes. I’m glad I went to Chautauqua for a completely uplifting day – a perfect beginning to their season, and a great start to my summer. Gin and tonic anyone?

Marcy O’Brien can be reached at Moby.32@hotmail.com