Lincoln, Neb.—It’s showtime as the Cornhusker Marching Band Highlights concert returns to the Lied Center for Performing Arts for their annual Season Highlights Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Come experience the sights and sounds of The Pride of All Nebraska.
“The Cornhusker Marching Band’s season has been a success so far,” said Tony Falcone, senior lecturer, associate director of bands and director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. “We’ve enjoyed some special performances, partnering with the University on the centennial celebration of Johnny Carson and with the Athletic Department on the Blackout for the USC game. Our final show of the year will highlight the 10th anniversary of the show ‘Hamilton’ as part of a national celebration of that milestone.”
Tickets for the Highlights concert are $20 adults and $10 students/seniors and can be purchased in advance through the Lied Center for Performing Arts Box Office at (402) 472-4747 or online at https://go.unl.edu/cmbhighlights.
Tanner Maas, a senior actuarial science and finance major in the College of Business and a drum major in the Cornhusker Marching Band, said the concert is an end-of-season celebration.
“The Cornhusker Marching Band showcases everything we’ve worked on throughout the season,” he said. “Spectators should expect to hear a wide array of music spanning decades, from Sly and the Family Stone to Taylor Swift. Band members enjoy this concert as it is a way to showcase the work of our season to friends and family who may not have been able to see us on football game days throughout the season. This concert is especially special since everyone attending is there specifically to watch the band.”
Jake Green, a graduate student pursuing a master of science in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the College of Engineering and a drum major, said the band enjoys sharing the music from the past season.
“We all have a lot of reminiscing over the past season through the music, and we want to share that with the audience,” he said. “Each song contains its own hardships and triumphs, soloists and section features, and/or dance breaks and horn swings. After playing through them, the audience will feel like they learned the music and drill with us.”
Though the football team is already bowl eligible, plans for a bowl game are still in process.
“Through the team is bowl eligible, we won’t know anything about a destination or the nature of the band’s participation until the bids come out after the Big Ten Championship Game,” Falcone said.
But Maas said students are excited about the possibility of a bowl game trip.
“Being able to perform our music, cheering on the football team in a new city and in front of a new audience is something we don’t take lightly,” he said. “I was lucky enough to travel last year on the bowl game trip to the Pinstripe Bowl in New York. Although it was a quick trip, getting to perform in Yankee Stadium was an experience I never imagined I would get.”
“Hopefully with the success of the football team this year, we can go some place warmer,” Green said.
Maas said the Highlights Concert is the last opportunity to see the 2025 Cornhusker Marching Band, other than a potential bowl game trip.
“Although there will be a marching band for years to come, each group is special in its own way as no two years have exactly the same people,” he said. “This has been the fastest-learning, hardest-working group out of my four years in the marching band, and the Highlights Concert will truly showcase how special The Pride of All Nebraska is.”
Green also encouraged everyone to arrive early to hear performances by small ensembles comprised of the band’s sections.
“I would like to remind everyone about the small ensembles,” he said. “The band calls this part of the performance ‘Ditties.’ It’s the only time we get to feature the uniqueness of each section of the band. It starts 30 minutes to one hour before the concert, and it is a lot of fun.”
This year’s 300-member band included representatives from nearly every region of the country, with 79 percent hailing from Nebraska communities. Twenty-three percent of the students had majors in the Glenn Korff School of Music. The rest are studying in more than 70 other academic programs across the university.
Drum majors this year were senior Travis Cloyd of Omaha; senior Gretchen Muth of Hastings; Green; and Maas. The twirler was senior Britney Berry of Omaha.
Falcone is associate director of bands in the Glenn Korff School of Music and is the director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. Doug Bush is the assistant director of bands and assistant marching band director. Carolyn Barber, the Ron and Carol Cope Professor of Music, is director of bands. Other band staff members include graduate teaching assistants Sarah Aymond, Andrea Mack and Colton Schaefer. Jacob Wrobel is the percussion instructor, and Samantha Houston Brown is the color guard instructor. Rose Johnson is the administrative technician, Jan Deaton is the office associate, and Nolan Schmit is the “voice” of the band.
The Cornhusker Marching Band, which resides in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music, was founded in 1879 as an ROTC unit and is one of the oldest marching bands in the nation. The band has received many honors throughout its history, including a Distinguished Recognition Trophy presented by John Philip Sousa in 1927 and the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Trophy in 1996. The Sudler Trophy is the highest honor given to collegiate bands.
For a full listing of this year’s band members, visit https://go.unl.edu/itde.
