DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711070301

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 13   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   36 lines

AIRMAN TO SOLO AT LOCAL CHURCH

A Portsmouth native, Master Sgt. Clarence T. Mitchell II, will be the guest soloist with the U.S. Air Force String Orchestra for a concert Nov. 16 at Mt. Hermon Baptist Temple, 2901 London Blvd.

The concert by the 21-member ensemble from Washington, D.C., is free and open to the public. It is the first of a series of events to be scheduled at the temple throughout the year.

Mitchell, a member of Mt. Hermon Temple and a graduate of Cradock High School, is non-commissioned officer in charge of the U.S. Air Force Chamber Players Band at Bolling Air Force Base and a trumpeter with the U.S. Air Force Concert Band in Washington.

He is a 1979 graduate of Temple University and has studied with trumpeters Charles Duval, Laurie McGaw, Steve Hendrickson, William Felder and Seymour Rosenfeld.

His career in the Air Force began in 1979, when he became a trumpeter for the Air Force Band of the Golden Gate in California.

He is married to Toya Mitchell. They have three children and live in Fort Washington, Md.

The Air Force String Orchestra came into existence in 1943 and plays for official military, diplomatic and civilian gatherings. It has served as resident ensemble at the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress.

Lt. Scott A. Guidry, also a trumpeter, is conductor of the orchestra. It is one of seven components of the Air Force Band, which includes the Airmen of Note, the group that gave Portsmouth native Tommy Newsom his entry to the national music scene. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Mitchell

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