UD Charters National Territory in College Intercollegiate Band
Feb 12, 2015 | Kristi Lynch
In a year of firsts for the instrumental music program at the University of Dubuque, the wind band music component has achieved another significant accomplishment. In March of 2015, two students from UD will travel to Nashville, TN to participate in the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Small College Intercollegiate Band.
The 80-piece Honor Band ensemble, made up of students from colleges and universities throughout the country with 5000 students or less, rehearses and performs at the CBDNA National Convention, which will be held on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Students will perform under the baton of world-renowned wind conductor Ray Cramer (conductor emeritus, Indiana University), and will present a concert at the convention on Saturday, March 28 at 1:30 p.m.
The two University of Dubuque wind ensemble students selected to participate are Jocelyn Odegard, clarinet, of Dubuque, IA (junior, business) and Wade Gibson, percussion, of Dubuque, IA (junior, environmental science). The Small College Intercollegiate Band (SCIB) is chosen through an application process and students audition for chair placement upon arrival. Since the mid-1930s, CBDNA has established a tradition of excellence and represents a vibrant community of musicians, teachers, conductors and scholars who share a love for the college wind band, its vibrant and expanding repertoire, and all of the activities that bind its participants together as a community.
“To say I’m excited is an understatement!,” said Nicholas Bratcher, director of instrumental music at UD. “Selection for this band is extremely difficult as over 2400 colleges qualify – more than 70% off all colleges in the U.S. Our program is entering into unchartered territory – UD is placing its pin on the musical map. I’m extremely proud that our students will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform under the direction of one of our profession’s legacies, and I know they’ll gain an experience that will last a lifetime.”
