Isrea Butler, director of bands and director of music programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, has been selected as the band director for the 369th Experience World War I Centennial Band. The band is a recreation of the 369th Regimental Band that was made up of 65 African American and Puerto Rican soldiers that performed in the United States and in Europe during the World War I period a century ago.
Dr. Butler will lead the band as it retraces the performance schedule of the 369th Regimental Band. It will play in New York and Paris and many other historic locations.
Dr. Butler joined the faculty at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2014. Earlier, he taught at the University of Rochester, the Julliard School, Rutgers University, and Jackson State University. He has performed in eight Broadway plays and was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. Dr. Butler holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York. He earned a doctorate in music from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Below is a video that includes audio of a recording played by the original 369th Regimental Band.
