Category Archives: Fort Greely Chapel

Fort Greely Christmas Concert - Performed by the Students and Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks UAF Brass Choir – Dr. Karen Gustafson, Conductor, UAF Brass Quintet – Dr. James Bicigo, Coach, UAF Tuba Quartet – Dr. James Bicigo, Coach. Photo Courtesy Chaplain (MAJ) Vince Cepeda

It was truly an evening of beautiful, harmonious brass Christmas music performed by  University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Brass Ensembles on Sunday, December 11, at the Fort Greely Chapel.

The 90-minute concert included performances by the UAF Brass Choir, conducted by UAF Associate Professor Dr. Karen Gustafson; and the UAF Brass Quintet and the UAF Tuba Quartet, coached by UAF Associate Professor Dr. James Bicigo.  The 11 UAF music students and Drs. Bicigo and Gustafson delighted and inspired the audience with their artistry.  The Brass Ensembles gave an outstanding performance that provided an opportunity for the audience to appreciate good, wholesome, quality music; and to sing Christmas carols that resonated with the message of the birth of our Savior.
This is a very busy time of the year, and traveling can be difficult and challenging, but the UAF Brass Ensembles were enthusiastically committed to coming to Fort Greely to provide a Christmas concert without requesting a fee.  How blessed and privileged we were to have them come and perform for us!   We appreciate the UAF Brass Ensembles’ gift of this concert to our community.

Chaplain (MAJ) Vince Cepeda

Love was in the air at Fort Greely, as seventeen couples gathered to participate in
a two-day training event on Friday and Saturday, October 21 and 22, at the Fort
Greely Chapel Annex.  They were there to learn about The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman, and how they could apply this information to enhance their relationship.

The Greely Bond Couples Training was hosted and conducted by Chaplain (MAJ) Earl
Vanderhoff and Chaplain (MAJ) Vince Cepeda of the Fort Greely Chapel.  The purpose of this training was to assist participants in strengthening their relationship by using the principles in the international best-selling book The Five Love Languages to express heartfelt commitment to their spouse.

According to Dr. Chapman, we all have an emotional love tank that needs to be
filled.  As part of the training, each participant was taught how to discover his/her
primary Love Language by completing a profile. Then, each participant shared
this information with his/her spouse so that the spouse could speak that Love
Language—thereby beginning to fill the spouse’s emotional love tank.

Couples were able to benefit greatly from this training.  The time invested in educating them about The Five Love Languages, and helping them to learn new skills to enhance the quality of their relationships, was time very well spent.  Based on the feedback
provided through evaluation forms, The Greely Bond Couples Training was a success.  Participants also expressed interest in attending future training events targeted to couples.

The Chaplain Corps will offer additional training programs in the future to assist couples
in nurturing and strengthening their relationship.

Submitted by:
CH (MAJ) Vince Cepeda
49th Missile Defense BN Chaplain
Office 907-873-9827

The Fort Greely Chapel hosts a FREE concert on Saturday, October 1 at 7:00 pm.

The concert will be performed by the Arctic Chamber Orchestra and features Korean born piano soloist  Klara Min. Music Director Eduard Zilberkant leads the Arctic Chamber Orchestra in a program of works by Gordon Jacob, Robert Schumann and Rodion Shchedrin.

The Arctic Chamber Orchestra’s wind and brass section will perform Jacob’s setting of English Folk songs entitled Old Wine in New Bottles. Ms. Min will perform Schumann’s  Piano Concerto.

After intermission, the concert concludes with a performance of Shchedrin’s thrilling 1967 arrangement of memorable tunes from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen for percussion and string orchestra.

The Arctic Chamber Orchestra is the touring arm of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and has performed throughout Alaska and the Canadian Northwest.

Concert Program:
Gordon Jacob          Old Wine In New Bottles for Winds
Robert Schumann    Piano Concerto in A minor, op.54
Rodion Shchedrin.   Carmen Suite (after Bizet)