Richard Mark Heidel

Dear Hawkeyes,

Greetings from Iowa City! It’s hard to believe that another summer is already coming to an end. Students are moving to town, faculty are preparing their fall classes, and of course, there is the anticipation of cheering on the Hawkeyes at their first home game in Kinnick on August 30. 

Like last year, this promises to be a busy but rewarding year for Iowa Bands. The Symphony Band, Concert Band, and University Band have a full slate of concerts scheduled for the fall and spring semesters. Of special note, Iowa Brass, Iowa’s Premiere British-style brass band, will collaborate with the Symphony Band on their November 19 concert in Voxman. Also, the Symphony Band was honored to be invited to perform at the College Band Directors National Association North Central Conference, hosted by the University of Michigan. Their performance will be on Thursday, April 9 in Hill Auditorium, and it will be an exciting opportunity for our students to represent our School of Music and experience a historic concert hall.

The annual Band Extravaganza will be held in the Xtream Arena in Coralville at 3:00PM on Sunday, December 7. This fun annual event will feature the Iowa Symphony Band, Johnson County Landmark, Hawkeye Marching Band, Iowa Dance Team and Spirit Squads. Our special guest high school band this year is the Iowa City West High School Trojan Marching Band under the direction of Brian Zeglis and Ryan Middleton. Please join us for an afternoon of entertaining sights and sounds!

The Iowa Dinner continues to be a popular tradition during the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. In recent years, alumni, friends, and special guests have gathered for fine food, fun, and fellowship at The Berghoff in Chicago. Todd Rogers, Co-CEO of Bob Rogers Travel, has generously organized the Iowa Dinner for many years. If you find yourself in the Windy City during the Midwest Clinic, please join us for this special event!

Last year, it was a pleasure to welcome alumnus Dr. Timothy Mahr to campus as guest conductor of the 2025 Iowa Honor Band. Benjamin Coelho, UI Professor of Bassoon, was also featured as our guest artist for the weekend. This year, we are excited that another UI alumnus, Dr. Andrew Boysen, Jr., will join us as our guest conductor of the Iowa Honor Band in February 2026. Dr. David Cyzak, UI Visiting Professor of Oboe, will be our featured guest artist on oboe. The Iowa Honor Band will be held in the Voxman Music Building from February 21-22, 2026, and I am looking forward to hosting more than 200 talented high school musicians on campus. 

On Friday, March 28, 2025, the Iowa Symphony Band and ISU Wind Ensemble proudly presented a joint concert in Chicago’s famed Orchestra Hall. UI faculty member, Dr. Gregory Hand, and UI alumni Dr. Nick Miller and Dr. Peter Naughton were featured performers on the program. Both ensembles presented outstanding performances for a large, enthusiastic audience. This was the first occasion in which these two programs collaborated, and it was a wonderful night for the State of Iowa.   

Iowa Symphony Band in Chicago

Also last year, we launched the Iowa Bands Young Artist Competition. We had a large, competitive field of applicants from four states. Our winner was Donovan Mann on euphonium from Farmington, Minnesota. Noelle Schnoebelen, from Iowa City, was our second place winner on flute. These two outstanding young musicians were featured in performances with the Symphony Band and Concert Band at the end of last spring. We are thrilled to continue the new tradition of the Young Artist Competition this year.

And lastly, it is important to mention the very special concert we had on Thursday, May 1 with the Perry High School, Blaine Schmidt, conductor. It was a joy to have the students from Perry on campus to collaborate with the Symphony Band on their spring concert. On that program, Blaine Schmidt conducted the Symphony Band on A Mere Moment by Michele Fernandez. This special work was commissioned by the Iowa Bandmasters Association to honor Ahmir Jolliff and Dan Marburgder, victims of the tragic shooting at Perry High School on January 4, 2024. It was a moving experience for the Symphony Band as well as audience members.

Of course, there were many other wonderful events last year involving members of the Concert Band, Dr. Eric Bush, conductor, and University Band, Cory Schmitt, Courtney Ridge, and Jarred Jaynes, conductors. This year promises to be equally exciting, so I cordially invite you to attend our concerts in the Voxman Music Building or by live stream. Visit our website at https://bands.uiowa.edu for events and additional program information. If you are ever in the Voxman Music Building, please stop by for a visit!

I am proud to be in my 18th year as Director of Bands at the University of Iowa, and know that each person who is involved in our program is committed to upholding the traditions of excellence of this historic program. I wish each of you the very best for the upcoming fall, and hope that our paths may cross soon!

Go Hawks!
Richard Mark Heidel
Director of Bands