SAM 250 Projects

On March 4, 1901, the band of the newly mustered Porto Rico Regiment of Volunteers [sic] marched down Pennsylvania Avenue during President William McKinley’s second inauguration, a ceremony the press hailed as “an imposing show of power.” Leading the ensemble was twenty-six-year-old Luis Rodríguez Miranda, a Puerto Rican clarinetist, guitarist, composer, and career soldier. His musicians and the battalion they accompanied reflected the United States’ expanding reach beyond the continent following the Spanish-American War.

This presentation introduces Luis R. Miranda as a central figure in the story of American music at 250. Across an expansive military and public service career, Miranda directed the 65th Infantry Regiment Band in Puerto Rico, served extensively in the Panama Canal Zone and on the mainland, and led university and civic ensembles during both World Wars. His collaborations with Alberto Galimany, leader of the Banda Republicana de Panamá, and Alton Adams, director of the U.S. Navy Band in the Virgin Islands, reveal how music fostered professional exchange within the U.S. territorial sphere of influence during this period.

Drawing on scores and historical newspapers from the Archivo General de Puerto Rico, the Library of Congress, and the Digital Library of the Caribbean, this presentation offers a contextual biographical sketch of Miranda, analysis of his ensemble programs, and live piano demonstrations of excerpts from “Recuerdos de Borinquen,” “Impromptu,” “Bibelot” (Panamanian Pasillo), “Ugolina,” and “The Union Club.” These examples illustrate Miranda’s engagement with Puerto Rican, U.S., and Caribbean musical styles, underscoring his place in American music history and in the broader tradition of military service through music.

Julian Duncan is a doctoral candidate in musicology at Florida State University. His dissertation examines military and municipal bands in Puerto Rico during the early twentieth century, exploring how civic music-making responded to U.S. colonial influence while cultivating a distinct national repertoire. Beyond academia, Julian is a public folklorist for the State of Florida, where he administers the Veterans’ History Program, documenting the lives and traditions of Florida’s service members. He also serves as a keyboardist with the 116th Army Band of the Georgia Army National Guard, performing for military and government functions locally and abroad, including cultural exchange performances at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi and at the Gori Defense Academy in the Republic of Georgia. His dual perspectives as scholar and Soldier inform his work on music, identity, and diplomacy within the broader history of American and Caribbean military ensembles.