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.”
Travis Cloyd, a senior chemical and biomolecular engineering major from Omaha, Nebraska, is even more frank about the concert.
“Any lucky person who attends our Highlights concert on Dec. 2 should expect to have their socks blown off by 300 musicians excited to do an encore of all the songs we have had the pleasure of playing this season,” he said. “For many, this is one of the only times that our families and friends get to see us perform, so getting to perform for them and ourselves means a lot.”
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.”
Gretchen Muth, a senior global studies and French major in the College of Arts and Sciences, said a highlight of the season for her has been serving as a drum major and serving the band in a new way.
“It’s been really cool getting to watch the band grow and just have fun with it,” she said. “My favorite part of the day is always just getting to listen to the band play."
Muth is in her fourth and final year in the band.
“Being a part of it has been one of the most formative aspects of my college career,” she said. “Way back as a freshman, I decided to audition because music has always been a big part of my life, and I was looking to continue pursuing music and find a community in college. That is exactly what the Cornhusker Marching Band has been for me—my greatest sense of community. It has, hands down, been my favorite part of college. The memories made and experiences I had will be something I cherish forever.”
Maas said a highlight of the season, for him, has been watching the band become cohesive.
“The band has been the most unified this year out of my four years in the ensemble, and it has been rewarding to see the growth over the years,” he said. “A couple of my favorite halftime shows this year were the Spies show, which included music from ‘Mission Impossible,’ “Perry the Platypus,’ ‘Finn McMissile’ and James Bond. Another highlight of the season will be the ‘Hamilton’ show we perform for the Iowa game.”
Green said several halftime shows were highlights for him.
“It is hard to pick because each one is unique and has its own interesting moments,” he said. “I enjoyed celebrating Johnny Carson’s 100th birthday with our halftime show. Our usual repertoire consists of pop songs, so when the band gets to play big band style charts, they really go after it and have fun. Some of my other favorites were the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy and Marines because the ‘Band of Brothers’ theme is one of the most well-written scores ever , and Big Red Beach, which featured a shark fin prop during the ‘Jaws’ theme my dad and I built.”
This was Green’s sixth year in the band and his first as drum major.
“I have cherished every moment,” he said. “I was inspired by my high school band director, Brian Vuu, to continue band into college, and I cannot thank him enough for that because this band is now deeply ingrained into my identity. Performing on gamedays fills me with joy and purpose.”
For Maas, this is his fourth and final year in the band, but his tenth year in bands dating back to middle school.
“I originally auditioned for the Cornhusker Marching Band my freshman year as a way to continue my passion for music, but it quickly became one of my ‘homes’ on campus,” he said. “I’ve met many of my best friends through the band. This ensemble has shown me how rewarding it is to work towards a common goal with other people who have similar passions and interests.”
He also appreciates the rich history of the Cornhusker Marching Band.
“It is an honor and a privilege to stand on the shoulders of those who came before us in the program, carrying on their traditions while paving the way for the next generation,” Maas said. “Some of my favorite memories in the band are giving kids high fives on game days. To me, that is a simple reminder that you never know the full impact you have made on someone. Listening to our music on game day might inspire someone to learn how to play an instrument and eventually be in our shoes someday.”
This is Cloyd’s fourth and final year with the band.
“Being a part of The Pride of All Nebraska has meant the world to me. I would not sacrifice a minute of time that I have gotten to spend as a member of this amazing band,” he said. “Being able to hear and perform both the most exciting and mundane pieces of music every day, whether it be our exciting melodies in each show or our daily warm-ups, for these four years, it has been the greatest gift I could ever receive.”
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 will have many lasting memories of his time in the program, but it’s the people he has met that have had the biggest impact.
“My lasting memory of my time in the program will be one of pure joy and immense gratitude,” he said. “Being a member of the ensemble has taught me many life-long skills in leadership, communication and problem-solving that I will take with me into the workforce. However, by far, the most vivid memory in my mind is the people I have spent the past four years with. The people truly make the band what it is.”
He also remembers his first time on the ladder as a drum major last season, where they were performing an Olympic-themed halftime show.
“Hearing the band’s impact made me fully comprehend what a privilege it is to lead 300 ‘Olympians’ from all across campus and call them my friends,” Maas said.
For Muth, her lasting memory will also be the people and the connections she has made.
“Music is one of my greatest passions, but the experience wouldn’t be what it is without the people,” she said. “Being able to work with and get to know so many different people throughout my time has not only helped me grow as an individual but meet some of my best friends as well.”
Cloyd said it will be the small moments that he remembers the most.
“My lasting memory of the Cornhusker Marching Band will be all the small and hidden hours I’ve had the honor of putting in,” he said. “That can be countless hours of sorting uniforms or other band needs, going shopping for supplies with my fellow drum majors, or just sitting outside the stadium after a long night of band camp just talking and recollecting on the day.”
Green appreciates the traditions of the band, like what happens after the second-round auditions, after the roster is posted.
“The directors hold a meeting with the new band where we discuss the band camp to follow, business items and the history of the band and our fight songs,” he said. “The last fight song we discuss is ‘Band Song,’ and we take time to teach the new members the words and the melodies. Then, suddenly, the entire band erupts with the performing of ‘Band Song’ and ‘Hail Varsity.’ It is a special tradition that always gives me goosebumps, but that does not even scratch the surface of the memories I have made with this band.”
Cloyd said the Highlights Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“What you will be able to hear cannot be replicated, and neither can the joy you’ll both see and experience if you attend our Highlights Concert,” he 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.”
Muth said, “If you like fun and awesome stuff, this concert is for you.”
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; graduate student Jake Green of Lincoln; senior Tanner Maas of Gretna; and senior Gretchen Muth of Hastings. 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.