The United States Coast Guard Band has announced an opening for principal harp. Applications (including a one-page resume and audio recording) must be submitted by email by March 4, 2026. Auditions will be held May 5, 2026, at Leamy Concert Hall, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut. Please see the audition listing for further details.
New band members are not required to undergo the eight-week basic training program. The Coast Guard Band is one of only two U.S. military bands that do not require basic training. Candidates are advanced to a final round based on their demonstrated musical ability; the winner of that round must complete an interview and reference check in addition to meeting Coast Guard requirements. The Director makes the final decision to award the position to the winner who then enlists in the United States Coast Guard for a period of four years at the rank of Musician First Class (E-6).
As a full-time military ceremonial performing organization, the Coast Guard Band performs at high profile functions including for the President, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and other dignitaries and military personnel around the country. In addition to frequent concert band performances at the Coast Guard Academy, the band performs concerts around Southeast New England and does two national concert tours per year, each being approximately two weeks long. The Coast Guard Band has also traveled internationally, including the first concert tour of a Premier U.S. Military Band in Japan in 2008 and the first performance by a U.S. Military Band in the former Soviet Union in 1989. The Coast Guard Band also has an extensive chamber recital series that performs throughout Connecticut and has also given performances at the Midwest Conference in Chicago and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
For more information, including required audition repertoire, visit the Coast Guard Band’s website.
