BENTON HARBOR — The internationally acclaimed United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. will continue its long tradition of presenting free public performances when it appears at The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 5.

The Concert Band & Soldiers’ Chorus are the oldest and largest of The U.S. Army Field Band’s performing components. These two ensembles combine to present joint concerts on their national tours. They have performed in all 50 states and 30 foreign countries for audiences totaling hundreds of millions. The 60-member Concert Band and 29-member Soldiers’ Chorus perform regularly in some of the most famous concert halls in the world, and just as often in the humblest auditoriums in the smallest of communities.

The joining of these two ensembles allows them to offer a versatile program, ranging from orchestral masterworks and operatic arias to Sousa marches, jazz classics, and Broadway musicals. The band and chorus also perform independently and have recently shared the stage with the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to their national tours, formal concerts, chamber recitals, and educational outreach, members of the Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus frequently represent the Army at formal and ceremonial functions, including the Presidential Inaugural Parade, presidential funerals, the Army All-American Bowl, and diplomatic efforts overseas. More than six decades as the military’s most traveled musicians have earned them the title, “The Musical Ambassadors of the Army.”

Tickets for The U.S. Army Field Band & Soldiers’ Chorus are available at TheMendelCenter.com, through The Mendel Center Box Office at (269) 927-8700, option 1, and in person weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the box office located in The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College, 2755 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor. Tickets are free, with a limit of four per party. This performance of The United States Army Field Band & Soldiers’ Chorus is sponsored by Lest We Forget and News/Talk 94.9 WSJM.

The 1,559-seat Mendel Center Mainstage Theatre offers state-of-the-art acoustics and comfortable seating. Other amenities include a new assistive listening system, free parking, handicap accessibility, and an array of special services including valet parking, catering and bar service for private pre- and post-show events, booster seats for children, non-spill cups for beverages inside the theatre, and premium seats in the Stage Side section.

The Mendel Center is 30 minutes from Niles and 40 minutes from the Kalamazoo and South Bend areas. It is located on the Lake Michigan College campus at 2755 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor. The Mendel Center is one mile east of I-94 (Exit 30) and one mile west of the US 31 Bypass (exit 24). The GPS mapping address is 1100 Yore Ave., Benton Harbor, Michigan.