The U.S. Army Band Downrange

MSG Daniel Roberts

keyboards / Group Leader

keyboards

MSG Daniel Roberts

Cookeville, TN

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2001

Alum: James Madison University

MSG Dan Roberts is a pianist, arranger, and composer living in Washington, D.C. He has performed with his own groups and as a sideman at many of the top jazz venues in the area, from Blues Alley to Bohemian Caverns to the Strathmore (where he was a mentor in the Artist in Residence Program) to the Kennedy Center, and he has shared the stage with nationally and internationally celebrated jazz artists such as Matt Wilson, Maria Schneider, Steve Wilson, Gary Smulyan, Ted Brown, Christian Howes, Warren Wolf, and Joel Frahm. His original compositions and arrangements have been premiered by such groups as the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, The U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, and the "Pershing’s Own" Contemporary Music Ensemble. His albums include ‘November Suite,’ a collection of classically influenced jazz compositions for a nine piece ensemble, ‘Yoshimisongs,’ featuring a jazz piano trio reinterpretation of the Flaming Lips record ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,’ and ‘Can’t Not,’ a more rock-influenced collection of instrumental originals. The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra has released a two volume collection of his original compositions and arrangements entitled ‘Bohemiana.’

MSG Chad Leader

guitar / Assistant Group Leader

guitar

MSG Chad Leader

Chesapeake, VA

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2003

Alum: Virginia Commonwealth University / University of North Texas

Sergeant First Class Chad Leader, contemporary guitarist with The U.S. Army Band Downrange, was born in Chesapeake, VA, in 1977. After attending Berklee College of Music, he continued his education at Virginia Commonwealth University earning a Bachelor of Music Education. In 2002, he resumed his education at the University of North Texas in the Jazz Studies Master’s program. Leader’s diverse education and experience affords him versatility in numerous musical genres. Jazz, rock, country, pop, funk and other contemporary styles are all part of his musical catalog. This musical flexibility has earned Leader the opportunity to perform with many elements of The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own," including the Strolling Strings, Army Blues, Concert Band, and Orchestra, in performances such as Spirit of America, the Sergeant Major of the Army’s Hope & Freedom Tour, and in venues such as the Music Center at Strathmore and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

MSG Zackery Pride

bass

MSG Zackery Pride

Atlanta, GA

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2007

Alum: Oberlin Conservatory of Music / Georgia State University

Born in Louisville, KY, and raised in Atlanta, GA, MSG Zackery Pride began his musical studies on violin but switched to bass at age 14. He earned a BA in Music with honors from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. While there, he was Principal Bassist in the Oberlin Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Jazz Band, and performed with music greats like Lou Rawls, Dorothy Norwood, Jaguar (The Roots), Derrik Reagan, and Robert Shaw. He expanded his musical education in New York City under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Ray Brown, Lonnie Plaxico, Matthew Garrison, Peter Washington, and Rufus Reid. Performing with the Winard Harper Trio, Pride made history accompanying Dave Chappelle on the first stand-up comedy performance at Carnegie Hall. He has shared the stage with Kirk Whalum, George Cables, Cyrus Chestnut, Charles Davis, Wycliffe Gordon, Lizz Wright, Mark Whitfield, and Johnny O’Neil, to name a few, in international jazz venues such as the Blue Note Café, Jazz Standard, Jazz Showcase, Sweet Basil, the Ravinia Institute, The Hip Hop Conference, and numerous international jazz festivals. His TV credits include BET Jazz and VH1 performances. In 2005, he completed recording with Earl Klugh, Kirk Whalum, and Lizz Wright for the “Save Africa Project”, raising $1.65 million to aid an African village. In 2006, Pride earned an MM from Georgia State University, prior to joining The U.S. Army Band Downrange.

SFC Christopher Rettig

vocalist

SFC Christopher Rettig

Ayersville, OH

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2012

Alum:

SFC Christopher Rettig did not begin his musical training as a tenor vocalist. He began playing the tuba at age 14 and graduated from Ayersville High School where he played tuba in their marching band. He entered the Army in June 2007, soon after graduation, and headed off to Basic Training in 2007. He then attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at The U.S. Army School of Music in Norfolk, Viginia, graduating in March of 2008. Rettig's first duty station was with the 1st Cavalry Division Band at Fort Hood, Texas. Between 2009 and 2010, he deployed with this unit as a vocalist and tubist, performing in support of troops in harm's way throughout Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His unit again deployed between 2011 and 2012, this time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where he traveled throughout Afghanistan's Regional Command East and Regional Command North with the First Cavalry's acoustic group "M.O.A.B." During that deployment, Rettig performed over 150 missions with this group for remotely deployed troops who rarely receive entertainment by soldiers from home. In 2012, he became a tenor vocalist with The U.S. Army Band Downrange. He remains a Buckeyes fan for life!

SFC George Waltemire

guitar / Music Director

guitar

SFC George Waltemire

Stewartstown, PA

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2014

Alum: Messiah College

SFC Z. Waltemire is with The U.S. Army Band Downrange. Born and raised in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, he began his musical studies at age six on the piano and branched out to the world of guitar at age ten. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Performance (Guitar) from Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Throughout his years at Messiah College, he performed with numerous musical ensembles in a variety of genres, often as a featured soloist, from jazz and gospel, to blues and country, pop and rock, and even funk. As an educator, Waltemire has taught piano and continues to teach guitar. He was the 2013 recipient of Messiah College’s Kurt Dyrli Award for Excellence in Jazz, was selected as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, and was twice chosen to perform for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. His work has been part of multiple musical recordings, including Dana Heidel’s inspirational album, I Always Wanted to Fly.

SFC Erik Tue

vocalist

SFC Erik Tue

Torrance, CA

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2016

Alum:

SFC Erik Tue graduated with his associate’s degree in liberal studies in 2007 from American Samoa Community College. He earned and a scholarship to a program called Broadway Theater Project at the University of Florida. It was a Broadway program that had New York Broadway stars come down and do sessions with students from all over the world including writers and producers of Guys and Dolls and The Lion King. His first time in America was a culture shock. The speed limit in Samoa is 25 miles per hour and once Tue arrived in America, it felt like a roller coaster driving on the freeway.

SFC Grace Chin

drum set

SFC Grace Chin

Los Angeles, CA

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2018

Alum:

SFC Grace Chin was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and joined the Army right after high school. Her first duty station was Seoul, Korea, where she served as a percussionist and operations NCO with the 8th Army Band. In 2009 she went back to California to attend Musician’s Institute while serving in the 300th Army Reserve Band in Bell, CA. During this time, Chin studied under the tutelage of jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton, Jason Harnell, and Chris Coleman. She marched snare drum with the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2010 and has actively taught marching percussion at various high schools and music programs in California, Virginia, and Seoul, Korea. In 2014, SFC Chin was selected to teach at The U.S. Army School of Music, where she served three years as Percussion Instructor. She then served as Percussion Section Leader and Team Leader with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band in Newport News, VA, before winning a job with The U.S. Army Band Downrange. Since joining "Pershing's Own" Chin has performed in several ensembles and enjoys playing all genres of music.

SSG Bethsaida Patterson

vocalist

SSG Bethsaida Patterson

Jersey City, NJ

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2021

Alum: Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus

SSG Bethsaida Patterson grew up singing in church and memorizing lines from every Disney movie. At a young age, she would put on “shows” for her family members and friends and made them watch. Her parents would receive notes from her teacher explaining why “Bethsaida didn’t eat lunch today.” After studying theatre and vocal performance in middle and high school, Patterson went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and Musical Theatre and be inducted into Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society. Patterson continued her performance career in the Tri-State area working as a dance instructor/choreographer and songwriter while actively auditioning and performing in various venues, live shows, and television. In 2019, she followed her father and grandfather before her and enlisted in the U.S. Army. She studied at the U.S. Army School of Music and began her Army Career with the 78th Army Band. In 2021, she won her job with The U.S. Army Band Downrange and is doing everything her young self wanted to do: be a performer.

SSG Maya Rodriguez

vocalist

SSG Maya Rodriguez

Daytona Beach, FL

Group: The U.S. Army Band Downrange

Joined the Band: 2022

Alum:

SSG Maya Rodriguez grew up in a military family, so she quickly knew that joining the Army would be in her path. Her passion for singing began at a young age when she was introduced to musical theater. After graduating high school in 2019, she enlisted in the Army as a 42R to serve as a vocalist in the TRADOC Band at Fort Eustis, VA. Though she specializes in pop and rock, Rodriguez has experience performing in various genres such as Latin, country, jazz, and rhythm & blues. In the Summer of 2022, she auditioned to join The U.S. Army Band Downrange as a commercial vocalist. She has been with this group ever since and loves what she does!

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