Richard Mark Heidel

Dear Hawkeyes,

Greetings from the beautiful campus of the University of Iowa! The sun is finally starting to come out more frequently and the temperatures are beginning to warm, and the anticipation of spring is in the air.

This has been another wonderful year for Iowa Bands. The Hawkeye Marching Band had a successful season, which officially ended with the HMB Banquet on February 14. The trip to the Holiday Bowl was an especially busy one for the band, but the students seemed to enjoy San Diego and, of course, they performed well. Our pep bands have been in full gear for some time now, and we are looking forward to tournament play for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Our three concert bands have also enjoyed a successful year so far with the usual array of performances in the Voxman Music Building and the Band Extravaganza in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in November to a large, enthusiastic audience. This spring got off to a quick start for the Iowa Symphony Band with a shared concert with Concert Band on February 18, a tour performance at Moline High School on February 19 where UI alumnus Zack Morton is Director of Instrumental Music, and a stunning performance at the College Band Directors National Association North Central Division Conference at DePaul University on February 20. These performances showcased the talents of Dr. Alan Huckleberry as piano soloist and Dr. Eric W. Bush as guest conductor. 

Symphony Band performing at CBDNA, February 2020

 

The Iowa Honor Band was held on February 29-March 1, and the Iowa Symphony Band will conclude the year with a performance at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference in Des Moines on Friday, May 15. The students and I are excited to have these opportunities, but we are especially proud to have been invited to perform at the national convention of the American Bandmasters Association at the University of Kansas in March 2021. This is a tremendous honor for our students, and we look forward to representing our university and band program at this very special performance.

As you can see, the Iowa Band program is doing well and continuing to offer outstanding experiences in athletic and concert bands to more than 600 students annually. We strive to uphold the tradition of excellence that was established by the many generations of Hawkeyes that came before us. I hope you are able to join our performances either in person or via live stream, and if you ever are on campus, please be sure to let us know. I would enjoy having a chance to visit with you!

Go Hawks!

Richard Mark Heidel
Director of Bands