Starting in June, Wichita State graduate student Billy Berue will begin an eight-year stint as a trumpeter in The President's Own United States Marine Band.
The President's Own — as it's commonly called — was established in 1798 with a mission to perform for the president of the United States and the commandant of the Marine Corps. It was created by an act of Congress and boasts that it is America's oldest continually active professional music organization.
If things had gone differently, Billy Berue would be tracking tornadoes rather than trumpeting tunes on his way to Washington, D.C.
"I wanted to be a meteorologist, but as I improved through taking lessons, the trumpet captured my interest," said Berue, a Wichita State University graduate student in trumpet performance. "Moreover, I received a lot of good opportunities and positive feedback from band directors in high school, which encouraged me to pursue the trumpet as a career."
Berue will move to D.C. with his wife and two cats in June. He signed an eight-year contract divided into two four-year terms: "The first four years are classified as active service, which is followed by four years of inactive reserve status."
