Military veterans, their family members and area residents are invited to attend the 16th Annual Americana Concert on Friday, Nov. 2 at the Oxford High School Performing Arts Center.

Admission is free and the concert will begin at 7 p.m.

A total of 201 Oxford Middle School choir students will take the stage to perform a variety of modern and classic patriotic songs in honor of Veterans Day.

“I love it because deep down, my blood runs red, white and blue. I guess I’m just a patriotic soul,” said OMS Choir Director Jan Flynn. “I love being able to honor and to serve the people in our community.”

According to Flynn, the concert goes beyond music because it provides students with a unique opportunity to learn some history and personally connect with veterans, ranging from relatives to community members.

“When I ask my students, ‘how many of you have people in your family who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces,’ I would say probably 90 percent of the hands go up in class,” she said.

Last week, a group of veterans visited with OMS choir students as they do every year prior to the concert. A student asked them if they have any regrets and one of the veterans replied, “We did what we did and we would do it again because we love you.”

“It was a really cool moment,” Flynn said.

Joining the OMS choir students on stage will be Three Men and a Tenor, a nationally-known four-member group that mixes vocal harmonies, feel-good music for all ages and humor. The group has opened for show business legends ranging from Jay Leno to The Beach Boys and twice toured U.S. military bases in Germany.

“They are really amazing musicians,” Flynn said. “They’ve been together for 26 years and they’ve traveled all over the world . . . They’re all (the) sons of veterans and it just seemed like a beautiful fit (for the concert).”

Three Men and a Tenor is scheduled to perform an original piece entitled, “A Hero’s Prayer” along with the classic “America the Beautiful.”

“The students will hopefully sing a verse with them,” Flynn said.

Justin Quisenberry, a former United States Army captain, is guest speaker for this year’s Americana Concert.

“I’ve asked him to speak about leadership,” Flynn said.

A 2000 Brandon High School graduate, Quisenberry graduated from West Point in 2004 and completed the Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools.

He served three combat tours in Afghanistan as a platoon leader, executive officer and company commander with both the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 101st Airborne Division.

Dr. David Rajewski, a professional trumpet player with more than 20 years of freelance experience, will perform “Song for the Unsung Hero” with choir students.

“There’s a trumpet obbligato – or a descant part – that’s written into the piece and it requires chops (to play),” Flynn said. “(Rajewski) has been playing for many years and he’s a highly-capable individual . . . It should be beautiful.”

Rajewski is the uncle of OMS eighth-grader Ava Kopitzki.

Veterans who attend the concert are welcome to wear their uniforms, but it’s not required.

Flynn said some veterans like to dress up for the occasion, while others prefer to fly under the radar and quietly slip in after the concert starts.

“Everybody has a story and everybody has a reason why they come,” she said.