IKEGO, Japan (Oct. 24, 2020) – Musicians with the U.S. 7th Fleet Band recently played at the Ikego Outdoor Music Festival Oct. 24 in Ikego, Japan.

This two-day music festival gave attendees the opportunity to enjoy local food, dive into some arts and crafts, and hear live music from local bands as well as the U.S. 7th Fleet Band.

Navy Musician 1st Class Brian Kloppenburg said participating at community outreach events like this helps foster positive relationships with the local community.

“Performing at local community outreach engagements gives the Navy the opportunity to make positive connections with potentially large numbers of local populations, said Kloppenberg. “We love performing at community outreach events. The ability to communicate with people, spread the Navy message, and help foster goodwill always gives us a great sense of accomplishment and pride.”

Kloppenberg said speaking the same language isn’t necessary when it comes to music.

“Music builds bridges between people that go beyond words,” said Kloppenberg. “We can make statements to different people without needing to speak the same language.”

Mr. Ryuichi Hirai, Zushi city mayor, was also in attendance and gave his heartfelt gratitude to the band for their performance.

The U.S. 7th Fleet Band was created in 1943 with the establishment of the U.S. 7th Fleet and has performed for millions of people throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The band is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and embarks aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), flagship for the U.S. 7th Fleet, during patrols and deployments. The band also conducts theater security cooperation engagements on behalf of the U.S. Navy with partners and allies across the region.