Band

History

The first evidence of a band at the University of Kansas was in 1887 when a student, Stuart O. Henry, organized a 12-piece military band. This group apparently did not receive much support since it did not survive the summer. There were student-led bands over the years that performed in concerts as well as at athletic events.

However, in 1906-1907, the first band uniforms were acquired, and in 1907 Joseph C. McCanles became the first faculty director. He served until 1933 when Russell L. Wiley became Director of Bands. Under Wiley's leadership the band grew and flourished, and in 1935 he founded the Midwestern Music Camp. Kenneth G. Bloomquist held the position of Director of Bands for two years beginning in 1968, and from 1970-1971 George Boberg temporarily directed the band until Robert E. Foster was appointed Director of Bands in 1971. During Foster's 31-year tenure, the KU Band continued to grow and prosper. John P. Lynch served as Director of Bands from 2002-2007, and in 2007 Scott A. Weiss became only the sixth person in KU history to be appointed to the position of Director of Bands.

In 1967 an outstanding musician from Oklahoma arrived on the KU campus. James Barnes came to KU as a freshman tuba player and composition major, beginning a rich association with the KU Bands that continues to this day. In 1975 Thomas Stidham came to KU from a position as assistant Director of Bands at Baylor University, and in 2006 David Clemmer became the new Director of Athletic Bands.

There have been significant changes in the band program during the past 25 years. The Marching Band and Basketball Band have gained a position of national prominence, and there are now three concert bands both semesters. New initiatives include the KU Commissioning and Recording projects, the high school Prairie Wind Festival, The Conductor's Symposium, The KUKC Youth Wind Symphony, and the Adopt-the-Band program.

The KU Marching Band marched down Campanile Hill to Memorial Stadium for the first time in the fall of 1971, an important pre-game tradition to this day. The Kansas state song, Home on the Range, was first performed by the Marching Band in 1971, and soon became a permanent part of the band's repertoire. Women became a regular part of the Marching Band in the fall of 1972, the same year that the beautiful new silver sousaphones, the first in the Big Eight Conference, were introduced in Memorial Stadium. In 1989 the KU Marching Band became only the seventh band ever to be awarded the Sudler Trophy, the highest honor available to college marching bands. In 1994 it was listed as one of the top ten college marching bands by Sports Illustrated.

The KU jazz program began when Foster started the first "official" jazz ensemble in the spring of 1972. It has become one of the outstanding jazz programs in the nation. Under the leadership of Dan Gailey, it includes three big bands, two jazz choirs, and numerous combos, and hosts the KU Jazz Festival, one of the nation's largest jazz events.

The Symphonic Band (now called Wind Ensemble) appeared at the Music Educators National Association convention in Colorado Springs in 1979, Miami in 1980, and in subsequent years at conventions in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City. The Symphonic Band has also performed at the prestigious American Bandmasters Association convention in Kansas City in 1983, in Oklahoma City in 1985, and in Lawrence in 1995. The band has also been selected to perform at three conventions of the College Band Directors National Association.

There are over 400 students involved in various programs in the KU Bands, playing in 11 different ensembles. They represent the University in over 125 performances each school year beginning during Hawk Week before the first classes have met, and concluding with the last selection in Commencement, marking the end of the academic year.

In recent years the KU Wind Ensemble has continued to build on this tradition of excellence with a recent performance at the MENC National Convention in Minneapolis in 2004 and a thrilling concert tour of China by invitation of the Chinese government in 2005. Their first professional CD "Redline Tango" was recently released on the Naxos label launching their new line of recordings "Wind Band Classics."