The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 299-member Cornhusker Marching Band makes its 2015 debut Saturday at Memorial Stadium with pregame and halftime performances at Nebraska’s football season opener against Brigham Young University.
This year’s band includes representatives from nearly every region of the country, however, 78 percent of the students are from Nebraska. Twenty-five percent of the students are music majors. The rest are studying in more than 60 other degree programs across campus. Each band member passed two auditions to gain admittance to the group.
Anthony M. Falcone, associate director of bands in the Glenn Korff School of Music, is the director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. Douglas W. Bush is the assistant director of bands and assistant marching band director. Carolyn Barber, Hixson-Lied Professor of Music, is director of bands. Other band staff members are graduate teaching assistants A. J. Burgess, Bradley Nelsen and Melanie Settle. Cory Davis is the percussion instructor and Ashlea Jurgens-Woitzel is the color guard instructor. Rose Johnson is the administrative technician, Jan Deaton is the office associate, and Nolan Schmit is the “voice” of the band.
The drum majors for the 2015 marching band are senior Sarah Bigge of Bellevue, junior Emily Hoffman of Beatrice, senior Kayla Krueger of Lincoln and senior Patrick Luddy of Omaha. The twirlers are freshman Hannah Kollmann of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and junior Morgan Miller of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
The Cornhusker Marching Band, which resides in the Korff School, was founded in 1879 as an ROTC unit and is one of the oldest marching bands in the nation. The marching band has received many honors throughout its 136-year history, including a Distinguished Recognition Trophy presented by John Philip Sousa in 1927 and the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Trophy in 1996 for high musical standards and innovative marching routines. The Sudler Trophy is the highest honor given to collegiate bands.
The Alumni Band – 324 strong and featuring members from 1946-2014 – will be joining the Cornhusker Marching Band on the field for the Sept. 5 halftime show as part of Reunion Weekend. The groups plan a tribute to longtime band director Jack Snider, who died in February at age 93.
The Pride of All Nebraska has been seen by millions of viewers on television including in 2005, when the band was featured on the NBC primetime series “Tommy Lee Goes to College,” in 2007 on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and in 2008 in the motion picture “Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey. The band was the first collegiate ensemble to perform at all of the major football bowl games (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar and Cotton). The full marching band will travel to the Nebraska at Illinois game on Oct. 3.
For the complete list of 2015 Cornhusker Marching Band members, click here.
