Ambassador Grappo and the Band of Mirage

U.S. Air Force Band Mirage Visits Oman
May 13, 2009

Muscat – The U.S. Embassy in Muscat this week hosted the talented musicians of Mirage, the U.S. Air Force Central Expeditionary Band.  During a busy visit to the Sultanate, Mirage played for and worked with Omani student audiences, as well as providing entertainment at a gala farewell concert and reception for Ambassador and Mrs. Gary A. Grappo.

Mirage is an eclectic ensemble that highlights the diversity of American music and the many influences from around the world that have shaped it.  Singing and playing instruments ranging from the clarinet to the banjo – and including bassoon, flute, marimba, drums, French horn and many more - the men and women of Mirage take their audience through time (from the nineteenth century operettas of Victor Herbert to contemporary afro-jazz) and across borders, playing everything from folk music of the American south to the rhythms of Latin music legend Tito Puente.

Mirage opened its tour of Oman in Buraimi on Sunday, May 10, where the band played at a concert marking the end of Buraimi University College's first Cultural Week.  Hundreds of the College's students attended, as did H.E. Dr. Sulaiman bin Saud Al Jabri, Wali of Buraimi, and other area dignitaries.

On Tuesday, May 12, Mirage played at a concert and reception honoring the work carried out by Ambassador and Mrs. Grappo over the past three years in the areas of education, exchanges, and public outreach.  In attendance were more than 140 alumni, program participants, and partners of a wide range of U.S.-sponsored activities, including the Fulbright Program, the International Visitors Leadership Program, American Corners, projects of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, and other programs that fulfill the Embassy's mission of building bridges between the United States and Oman.  Embassy Public Affairs Officer Robert Arbuckle, who hosted the event, noted that the cultural diplomacy embodied by the musicians of Mirage made for a very fitting tribute to the contributions that the Grappos have made to the Embassy's outreach efforts during their time in the Sultanate.

Also on May 12, Mirage visited Muscat's Azzan bin Qais School for a performance followed by workshops and the chance to work with the School's students in small groups and individually.  The students clapped along as the band played its unique mix of modern and traditional tunes and greatly enjoyed the chance to meet and learn from the American musicians.

Mirage came to Oman as part of a two-month regional tour that has also included Qatar, Kuwait, and Turkmenistan and that will take the band on to Bahrain before the musicians return to their home base in the U.S. state of Colorado.  Speaking to the audience at the Embassy concert, Master Sargeant Heike Gazetti, the band's group leader - whose contributions to the group include clarinet, pennywhistle, and guitar - said "We have never experienced hospitality or a welcome like the one here in Oman.  Playing for Omani students and for all our audiences here has been an incredible experience."