The Pride of Arizona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Pride of Arizona | |
|---|---|
| School | University of Arizona |
| Location | Tucson, AZ |
| Conference | Pac 10 |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Director | Jay C. Rees |
| Members | 250+ |
| Uniform | red jackets with silver sequins, blue pants, blue shakos with white plumes |
The Pride of Arizona (POA) is the University of Arizona's Marching Band. The band was founded in 1902 as the UA ROTC Band and contained 12 members. Over the years, the band has performed in prestigious venues such as Super Bowl I and the Inaugural Parade of President James Carter. Today the POA has over 250 members and is directed by Jay C. Rees.
Contents |
[edit] History
- 1885: The University of Arizona is established.
- 1902-1912: The UA ROTC Band is established under the direction of student Frank C. Kelton. Wearing military uniforms, the band makes its first appearance at Battalion Parade on Dec. 9. The band varies from 3 to 20 men, comprised mainly of trumpeters and percussionists.
- 1907: The UA Band is created as part of the Music Department.
- 1920: The band is offered for one unit credit, and subsequently grows to the “impressive” size of 40 men. The ROTC band isdissolved, with the UA Band taking over its functions.
- 1922: The band makes its first appearance at a football game, and gets 50 instruments from the Military.
- 1928: Joseph DeLuca is hired as the director of bands. He was known as “the world’s greatest euphonium soloist,” and was a member of the Sousa band. The UA Band is the first band from Arizona to perform on the radio.
- 1929: The Omega chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi is founded on May 7.
- 1936: The UA Band adopts the motto “The Best Band in the West” at the Western States and Philippine Islands Music Conference in Pasadena, CA.
- 1945: While rebuilding after World War II, women ware allowed to march in the UA Band for the first time.
- 1950: The Omega chapter of Tau Beta Sigma is founded on May 14.
- 1952: Jack Lee becomes director of bands. Lee wrote the fight song, “Bear Down, Arizona.”
- 1954: The U of A hosts its first annual Band Day. The UA Band is the first band in the nation to incorporate moving formations and marching charts, and is considered to be one of the top five bands in the country.
- 1967: On January 15, the UA Band performs the halftime for Super Bowl I at the Los Angeles Coliseum. With 67,000 spectators in attendance, and another 90 million watching on television, this is the single largest crowd the UA Band has ever played for.
- 1977: The UA Band marches in the Inaugural Parade of President James Carter in Washington, D.C.
- 1984: “Bear Down” is played to wake up the astronauts on the April Space Shuttle mission.
- 1995: Jay C. Rees becomes the assistant director of bands at UA and the director of the Pride of Arizona. They adopt the slogan “The World’s First Alternative Marching Band.”
- 2002: The UA Band celebrates its 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of "Bear Down". "A Century of Pride" is the university's homecoming theme, and the year is marked with performances throughout the band program.
- 2004: The "Grande Dame" of the Pride of Arizona, twirling coach Shirlee Bertolini, celebrates her 50th year with the Pride of Arizona.
[edit] Instrumentation and Auxilaries
The instrumentation of the Pride of Arizona is as follows, in score order:
- Piccolo
- Clarinet
- Alto Saxophone 1
- Alto Saxophone 2
- Tenor Saxophone
- Baritone Saxophone
- Trumpet 1
- Trumpet 2
- Trumpet 3
- Horn in F
- Trombone 1
- Trombone 2
- Baritone Horn
- Tuba
The percussion section of the Pride of Arizona is battery only, and consists of snares, tenor drums, bass drums, and cymbals. The director of percussion is David Rodenkirch, and coached by Bob Peterson.
There are three auxilary units that perform with the Pride of Arizona. The poms, twirlers, and colorguard are coached by Becky Eisenberg, Shirlee Bertolini, and Nicole Parada, respectively.
[edit] Recent Field Shows (and "second" shows)
Under Gregg I. Hanson:
- 1991: Sunshine Show
Under Enrique "Hank" C. Feldman:
- 1992: Latin Salsa/Rock 'n Roll
- 1993: West Side Story
- 1994: Channel One Suite/Santana
Under Jay C. Rees:
- 1995: The Beatles (Rock 'n Roll History)
- 1996: The Red Hot Chili Peppers (No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom)
- 1997: Pink Floyd (Carmina Burana)
- 1998: The Smashing Pumpkins (Stevie Wonder)
- 1999: The Who's Tommy
- 2000: Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo (Santana - Supernatural)
- 2001: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Dave Matthews Band)
- 2002: The Return of The Red Hot Chili Peppers (World Peace Medley)
- 2003: Teardrop (An original work for band) (No Doubt - Rocksteady)
- 2004: The Talking Heads
- 2005: Led Zeppelin
- 2006: Radiohead
[edit] Directors of the Pride of Arizona
(Note: This list is not representative of each director's career with the University of Arizona, just their career as Director of the Pride of Arizona. Each director's career began in the fall and ended in the spring of the years listed.)
As the "ROTC University Band"
- 1902-1904: William K. Seitz
- 1906-1908: C. G. Hoover
- 1913: A. E. Clark
- 1916-1917: Clark Leaming
- 1918-1920: 2nd Lt. Alfred E. Truscott
- 1920-1922: J. H. McGibney
As the "ROTC University Band and Concert Band"
- 1922-1923: Guy Tufford
- 1923-1925: Ernest G. Dobney
- 1925-1928: Guy Tufford
As the part of the University of Arizona Bands
- 1928-1935: Joseph O. DeLuca
- 1935-1939: Maurice F. Anderson
- 1939-1946: George C. Wilson
- 1946-1952: Sam Fain
- 1952-1980: Jack Lee
- 1980-1985: James Keene
- 1985-1986: Stephen K. Steele
- 1986-1989: Joseph Hermann
- 1989-1991: Eric Becher
- 1991-1992: Gregg I. Hanson
- 1992-1995: Enrique C. Feldman
- 1995-present: Jay C. Rees
