Welcome from Iowa City!
It’s truly hard to believe classes begin in little over a week, and another academic year will be upon us. Moving trucks have been rolling into town all month, and the excitement that comes with the beginning of each new year at the University of Iowa is definitely in the air. New students are anxious and likely nervous about starting their collegiate careers, and I’m sure the returning students are looking forward to being back on campus and continuing their journeys toward graduation. This is a time of renewal and anticipation, and the weeks leading to the start of the fall semester are among my favorite of the entire year.
It is certainly a time for excitement in Iowa Bands as I am so pleased to welcome our new Assistant Director of Bands, Dr. Nick Miller. Dr. Miller has been a valuable member of the program as a graduate teaching assistant for five years, and he is now one of three directors. Dr. Miller will be involved with the concert and athletic band programs, and he is already well respected by our students, staff, and faculty. Dr. Miller is a wonderful and well-deserving addition to our program, and I hope you will have the opportunity to meet him in the near future.
Before I discuss plans for this year, I would like to take a quick look in the rearview mirror because 2022-23 was an incredible year for Iowa Bands. More than 700 students participated in various concert and athletic bands, and 10 band concerts were presented in the Voxman Music Building throughout the year. Due to a record number of applications, the Iowa Honor Band featured two honor bands comprising more than 200 students from high schools in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota. The bands were named in honor of two icons from the University of Iowa School of Music – Himie Voxman and Myron Welch. We were honored to have Dr. Welch join us as a guest conductor, and it was a wonderfully successful weekend.
Shortly after the honor band weekend in February, the Iowa Symphony Band performed at the 88th annual convention of the American Bandmasters Association in Lawrence, Kansas on March 1. The program included compositions by Archer, Chance, Hailstork, Perrine, Arnold, Ticheli, Williams, and Martin with 9 different conductors as well as UI Assistant Professor of Music Jorge Montilla as clarinet soloist. The highly discerning audience was appreciative of the concert as indicated by an enthusiastic standing ovation. It was an honor to have been invited to perform at such a prestigious event, and I was incredibly proud of the band’s performance. We have outstanding students in our programs, and the Symphony Band members represented the University of Iowa and our School of Music with excellence.
During spring break, I hosted an international concert band tour to the Republic of Ireland. There were 71 participants on the tour including UI students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family members. Tour highlights included stops in Galway, Cork, Dublin, and many points of historical and cultural interest. The band performed for a capacity audience at Colaiste Choilm in Ballincollig with bands from the Cork Educational Training Board School of Music as well as the Hifilutin Flute Quartet. The entire trip was a major success, but the interaction I witnessed between the current students, alumni, and family members was especially rewarding to me.
Last year was noteworthy in many respects, but the upcoming year will also be busy and rewarding. In addition to the usual busy fall for the Hawkeye Marching Band, band concerts are scheduled for October 12, November 5 (Band Extravaganza), November 15, December 4, February 17 (in conjunction with the Iowa Honor Band), April 18, April 22 and April 24. Programs will feature guest artists including Michael Gause on trumpet, Greg Hand on organ, Jim Self on tuba, and Linda Moorhouse as guest conductor as well as collaborations with the Liberty High School Lightning Marching Band, Iowa City New Horizons Band, and City High School Wind Ensemble. Also, plans are currently underway for a Symphony Band concert tour to western Iowa in late March. I hope you will join us for one or more of these concerts either in person or by live stream. You can find a listing of all concerts on the Iowa Bands website.
When taken in total, the lengthy list of activities and accomplishments of the concert and athletic bands each year at the University of Iowa is nothing short of remarkable. As I mentioned earlier, we are honored to work with incredible students that are talented, dedicated, and committed to high standards. Each of us is well aware of the expectations that come with being a part of the storied history of the University of Iowa band program, and we all take great pride in honoring the tradition that is Iowa Bands.
Go Hawks!
Richard Mark Heidel, Ed.D.
Director of Bands