Army Bandleader Celebrates Her Stillborn Child In Extraordinary Performance

Lt. Elizabeth Elliott and her husband were having an ultrasound performed on 21-week-old embryo when she realized something was wrong. The technician measured the head and legs but did not mention a heart rate. She squeezed her husband’s hand.

Madison was stillborn a day later.

A year later, the army bandleader is scheduled to conduct a musical piece about her experience. The U.S. Army Band’s Pershing’s Own is scheduled to appear at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, in Alexandria, VA, near Washington, DC, Saturday. The performance is slated to include the world premiere of Love and Light.

The performance combines elements of a lullaby throughout. The music is loosely based on the chord progressions of Ben Folds’ song The Luckiest, which Elliott played on the piano for her daughter during her pregnancy, according to NPR. Brian Balmages composed the piece.

The lieutenant said she wanted to be transparent about her experience, and had to figure out a way to grieve while being there to lead her soldiers. She returned to work a week later. Elliott addressed the issue directly.

“They didn’t know what to say to me, and I didn’t know what to say to them,” she said in an interview NPR. Elliott said she thinks the ordeal has made her a better officer. She is now a more caring, compassionate leader.

Elliott wanted music to honor Madison’s memory and provide the comfort Elliott felt from music to others. Something that could help someone cope with an incredible loss.

“My first reaction was that what business do I have to even try to tackle that,” Balmages said. After speaking to her more, he “wanted to know, what does it sound like when a child first sees the face of God? What does unconditional love look like?”

Elliott will conduct the group in a maternity dress. Her son Oliver James is scheduled to be born in April.

The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” has maintained a tradition of excellence as the premier musical organization of the United States Army. The band was founded in 1922 by Army Chief of Staff General of the Armies John J. “Black Jack” Pershing to emulate European military bands he heard during World War I. The U.S. Army Band continues to play an important role in events of national and international significance, staging performances from the battlefields of World War II to our Nation’s Capital.