ODESSA, TX – For the first time, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band is coming to Odessa, TX as part of the band's National Concert Tour, performing a free 7:30 PM concert on Friday, October 24, 2025 at First Baptist Church Odessa, presented by Odessa College and the Odessa College Department of Music.

For full details, please visit this LINK. Free tickets are available now HERE (limit 4 per request). Seating is general admission and ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 PM; remaining seats will be released to the standby line at that time.

“We are incredibly excited to continue the tradition of our national concert tour,” Marine Band Director Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin said. “Musicians of the band are more eager than ever to share their musical talents with audiences live, and in-person on this year's tour.”

Nowlin has programmed musical selections in the style of the band’s 17th Director John Philip Sousa, who initiated the concert tour tradition in 1891. Concertgoers can expect a mix of works including traditional band repertoire, Sousa marches, contemporary compositions, vocal and instrumental solos and a patriotic salute to the Armed Forces.

“We have tremendously appreciative patrons who come to Marine Band concerts for all types of different experiences, so our programs are designed to include a great variety of music that mirrors the wonderful diversity in our national musical heritage,” Nowlin said.

Since Sousa was first granted permission to tour the country by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band has delivered a White House experience from Washington, D.C., to the far-reaching corners of our nation, and these special concerts have been shared by generations of Americans. During the 30-day National Concert Tour, the Marine Band will perform 28 concerts in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Founded in 1798, the band has performed for every U.S. President since John Adams. Known as “The President’s Own” since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band’s mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.