The Urbana High School Bands 100th Anniversary Alumni Band Celebration is quickly approaching and the community is invited to help celebrate! More than 100 UHS Bands Alumni, as well as former Band Directors and their families will join in this historic event which will culminate in a commemorative 100th Anniversary Concert on Saturday, April 20 at 7 pm. The concert will feature many familiar faces and melodies as we reflect on our storied history. Alumni from across eight decades and eight states will be joining us to perform alongside our current musicians at this 100th Anniversary Commemorative Event. Featured conductors, speakers and soloists include:

● Mayor Diane Marlin, City of Urbana, will illustrate the historic impact that community
bands have had on civic pride and economic vitality in addition to her own involvement
with Urbana High School Bands as a parent and Urbana Band Boosters President.
● Professor Barry Houser, Associate Director of Illinois Bands and Director of the
Marching Illini at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will highlight the
unique relationship that University of Illinois Bands and Urbana High School Bands
have shared for a century at the epicenter of the American School Band Movement.
● Dr. Kevin Giraldi, Director of Illinois Bands at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign as Guest Conductor of America, The Beautiful.
● Shandra Summerville, Featured Guest Vocal Soloist, and daughter of Willie T.
Summerville, singing her father’s arrangement of Dear “Old Urbana”.
● Bonnie Blaford, daughter of Barbara Blaford, first female member of the UHS
Brass Section, will share details of her mom’s experience performing in UHS Bands
in the 1930s which included winning the national band competition and performing
under the guest batons of John Phillip Sousa and A. Austin Harding. Current UHS
Senior and Drum Major Samantha Christman, will be performing a cornet solo on
Barbara Blaford’s century-old cornet.
● Robert Lewis, UHS Class of 1964 and Founding Member of BBL Fine Arts
Academy, as well as Chris Walker, UHS Class of 2021, will highlight the history of
the Douglas Drum Corp and Drill Team at the foundation of BBL Fine Arts Academy
and its mission to enhance the musical knowledge base of young musicians by
providing meaningful supplementary curriculum utilizing the genres of Blues, Jazz,
Gospel, R&B and soul in order to participate and contribute successfully to their
respective school ensembles. For more information about the national award-winning
Douglas Drum Corp and Drill Team and BBL Fine Arts Academy view this
documentary prepared by the late Dr. William Patterson in partnership with Illinois
Youth Media and Illinois Public Media:
https://will.illinois.edu/illinoisyouthmedia/beatgoeson.
● Ken Peters, Retired Director of UHS Bands and three generations of Peters
family drum majors, will perform in a family quintet.
For more information about the early history of Urbana High School Bands see the attached
graphic which includes the following highlights:
● John Philip Sousa and A. Austin Harding guest conducted the national award winning
UHS band in its early years.
● UHS Bands are among the first bands in the nation to become mixed-gendered in the
1920s and integrate in the 1930s.
● Roger Ebert emceed the UHS Stage Band, founded and directed by Daniel J. Perrino
regularly during the late 1950s. Mr. Perrino’s wife, Margorie Perrino (99 years) will be
in attendance at the concert.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF INTEREST:
● Dick Cogdal (oldest living member of UHS Bands at 107); Please contact
uhsbandsalumni@gmail.com for a transcript of a recent interview with Mr. Cogdal about
his experience as a student in UHS Bands in the 1930s
● Eye of the Tiger (composed by the cousin of Stacey Peterik, UHS Jazz Band Director
and Director of the Tiger Marching Band)
● Neil Kjos, 4th director of UHS Bands and assistant to A. Austin Harding in the
University of Illinois Bands. This period of Urbana-Champaign and A.Austing
Harding’s outreach to high school bands was the genesis of what would later become
The Midwest Clinic. The Neil A. Kjos Music Company features a photo of Urbana High
School Bands from that time period on the cover of their best-selling band method,
Traditions of Excellence (see attached photo of John Phillip Sousa and A. A. Harding
with UHS Bands on the steps of Foellinger Auditorium in the 1930s).
● A History of Urbana Bands, digital exhibit prepared by Sousa Archives and Center for
American Music
● Band Room Dedication Immediately following 100th Anniversary Concert on April 20