Shields, an active member of the military, is a tenor for the Savannah Philharmonic.He has put his fluent German to use while trying out for the chorus and performing classical favorites.

The Savannah Philharmonic will open their season on Friday - Patriot Day - at the Lucas Theatre.

The patriotic-themed concert “Fanfare For The Common Man,” honors those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

“For the symphony chorus to put on something like this, it really says a lot to me,” Shields said. “That those people care about what happened and care about the people who are in the lines of work that were deeply affected by it.”

Half of the proceeds from the $100 tickets benefit the 200 Club of the Coastal Empire, an organization that provides financial assistance to families of local law enforcement officials and firefighters who have lost their lives in the line-of-duty.

The concert will feature Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” along with “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber.

“It is all music that represents the occasion,” The Savannah Philharmonic’s conductor Peter Shannon said.

Shannon went on to say that although some of the music in the concert will evoke the tragedy of 9/11, the concert will be balanced with more upbeat pieces including rousing patriotic marches from John Philip Sousa.

“There is so much wonderful American music,” Shannon said.

Shields became a member of the philharmonic after being stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in 2008.

Although he has been singing since he was in first grade, “This is the first time I have been able to do anything like this in my whole career in the military,” he said. “It has been a great challenge musically and a lot of fun with genuine people.”