Fanfare Politeia - Concert Band Set

Joe Biden’s presidency has ushered in a progressive agenda that includes the first female Vice President and a diverse cabinet. The music to be performed at the Presidential Inauguration will be no exception to this trend. Dr. Kimberly K. Archer has been selected by the President’s Own United States Marine Band to compose a new fanfare to underscore the program for Biden’s Inauguration ceremony.

The Mendota, IL native and Professor of Composition at Southern Illinois University, entitled her work Fanfare Politeia. Translated from Plato’s Latin term for “Republic,” the work celebrates our traditions of a free and fair election, and of a peaceful transfer of power.

The President’s Own Marine Band has performed at Presidential Inaugurations since 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was sworn into office in Washington, D.C., the first inauguration at the nation’s capital. Archer joins the ranks of iconic composers Leonard Bernstein and John Williams who have previously penned works for the executive branch.

“This is an incredible honor,” Archer said. “If you had told my 20 year old self that someday the Marine Band would play my music, much less for a presidential inauguration, I would never have believed it.”