June has arrived, so the start of summer is just around the corner. The campus is in full color and strikingly beautiful, and the pace of life has relaxed considerably since the semester ended on May 13. The majority of our students are now enjoying a well-deserved summer break or they have moved on to begin the next phase of their lives. It is the perfect time for reflection, introspection, and renewal.
This year was a decided success for Iowa Bands, and our program roared back after 2020-21, a year largely dominated by COVID and uncertainty. The more than 800 students that participated in the UI band program this year were eager to return to a more normal campus experience, and I could not more proud of their accomplishments.
The spring semester started with the Iowa Honor Band, which showcased the talents of more than 120 high school musicians in Voxman. Dustin Seifert, Director of Bands at Eastern New Mexico University, was our guest conductor, and Dr. Katy Ambrose, UI Visiting Assistant Professor of Horn, was featured soloist with the Symphony Band. In additional to the Honor Band performance, the Symphony Band and Concert Band performed on the Showcase Concert, and it was a tremendously successful weekend.
The semester continued with on-campus performances by the Symphony Band, Concert Band, and University Band. The Symphony Band took a concert tour to the Des Moines area at the end of March, and Dr. Ambrose was once again our featured soloist on an exciting work by Otto M. Schwarz entitled Cape Horn. The students and I enjoyed collaborating with Dr. Ambrose, and she is an outstanding addition to the UI School of Music faculty.
The Symphony Band concluded the year of Iowa Bands with a performance at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference in Des Moines on May 12. The program featured guest conductors Dr. Myron Welch, Director of Bands Emeritus, Dr. Eric W. Bush, Associate Director of Bands, and guest soloists Colin Wilson, tenor, and Allen Vizzutti, trumpet. The students performed a demanding program for a capacity audience, and their performance was extremely well received. We were all thrilled and honored to once again represent our university and the School of Music at IBA.
With the specter of COVID hanging over our heads, this was not always an easy year. However, like the spring of 2020 and all of last year, our students responded brilliantly to the numerous challenges we encountered. The ensemble enrollments were strong across the board, and the performances were all of very high quality. Without question, the year was a major success.
Looking ahead, plans are underway for the upcoming marching season with the Hawkeye Marching Band, and I know the students are eager to travel to Ohio State in late October. The Symphony Band will be featured at the 88th annual convention of the American Bandmasters Association at the University of Kansas on March 2, 2023, and Iowa Bands and the School of Music are proud to sponsor a concert band tour to Ireland during spring break in March 2023. If any alumni are interested in joining us on the tour to Galway, Cork, and Dublin either as performers or participants, please contact Kathy Ford (kathleen-ford@uiowa.edu) for information.
I wish you all a safe and relaxing summer, and I very much look forward to the next time our paths cross. Until then…
Go Hawks!
Richard Mark Heidel, Ed.D.
Director of Bands/Professor