On Saturday when NIU (1-0) heads to South Bend, Indiana, for the first time ever, to take on the third ranked team in the nation in Notre Dame (1-0), the Huskie football team won’t be the only NIU students performing at historic Notre Dame Stadium.
The event will be held at Boutell Memorial Concert Hallin NIU’s Music Building and will feature the world renowned NIU Steelband (Liam Teague, director), All-University Steelband (Jalen Charles and K-Lee Blackwell, directors), Community School of the Arts (CSA) Steelband (Yuko Asada, director), and the NIU Steelpan Studio.
The steelbands will collaborate a phenomenal group of guest artists.
The fantastic duo of Reggie and Mardra Thomas (vocalist) will once again grace the steelband audience with their brilliance. Professor Reggie Thomas is the current coordinator of the internationally recognized NIU Jazz Studies program and director of the acclaimed NIU Jazz Orchestra. Reggie is retiring at the end of the spring academic semester.
Sixteen-year-old DeKalb High School (DHS) student Jaden Teague-Núñez recently won the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artists Concerto Competition on the steelpan, and will make his NIU Steelband debut as guest piano soloist on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. 2024 commemorates the 100th anniversary of this brilliant composition, and the NIU Steelband will premiere steelpan alum Avery Attzs’ arrangement of it with Thomas Bough, professor of music, conductor of NIU’s Wind Ensemble and director of athletic bands, at the helm.
Under the direction of Miranda Cordes, Dimensions Dance Academy, one of DeKalb’s premiere dance companies, will make their return to the NIU Steelband concert, as will the DeKalb High School Steelband led by Steve Lundin, DHS director of bands.
NIU Steelband Concert Featuring NIU Steelband, All-University Steelband, CSA Steelband and NIU Steelpan Studio Guest artists include: Reggie Thomas, Mardra Thomas, Jaden Teague-Núñez, Dimensions Dance Academy, Thomas Bough and DeKalb High School Steelband Sunday, April 21, 3 p.m. Boutell Memorial Concert Hall, NIU Music Building Tickets: go.niu.edu/arts-tickets
As part of our 115th Homecoming festivities, the Huskie Marching Band invites all alumni back to campus to participate in two special performance celebrations.
In addition to Saturday’s annual Fill the Field event at Huskie Stadium, all School of Music and Huskie Marching Band alumni are invited to perform with the NIU Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Thomas Bough. This concert is will be held in the beautiful Boutell Memorial Concert Hall at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 7.
Alumni musicians will have the opportunity to join forces with current NIU Wind Ensemble students to perform Frank Ticheli’s exciting classic Vesuvius. Former NIU Huskie Marching Band Drum Major and NIU School of Music alumnus Lt Col Bryan Miller will serve as guest conductor for this special performance.
Alumni performers should arrive at 5:40 p.m., rehearsal will begin at 6 p.m. with the concert beginning at 7 p.m. Performers should wear concert black or all black clothing. Instrument cases and personal items will be stored in MB161.
Concert tickets are available here. Performers do not need to purchase a ticket.
The annual spring concert of the NIU Steelband, All-University Steelband, and CSA Steelband features guest vocalists, musicians, the DeKalb High School Steelband, the DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir, Banda NIU, Dance Dimensions Company and more. The concert will be held in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building, Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online at niumusic.universitytickets.com and are $5 for adults, $3 for non-NIU students and NIU students are free with a pre-reserved ticket.
The NIU Steelband is directed by Liam Teague, NIU Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor, Professor of Music and Head of Steelpan Studies. Yuko Asada, co-directs the NIU Steelband and is the director of the Community School of the Arts (CSA) Steelband. The All-University Steelband is co-directed by graduate assistants Joshua Bedeau and Jalen Charles.
The program includes Reggie Thomas, NIU Professor of Music and Head of Jazz Studies on bass and his wife Mardra Thomas on vocals joining Teague for an arrangement of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s My Funny Valentine.
The NIU Steelband will perform Dreams, written by Teague and dedicated to the legacy of the late Clifford Alexis, who co-founded the Steelband in 1985 with Al O’Connor.
They will be joined by the DeKalb High School Steelband to perform Asada’s arrangement of Bruno Mars’ Leave the Door Open, and by the DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir on Cradle Hymn, adapted by Bedeau and dedicated to the memory of Les Trilla a longtime supporter and benefactor of the steelband.
William Goldenberg, Distinguished Teaching Professor and Head of Keyboard Studies at NIU will perform with the NIU Steelband on Mozart’s Concerto in d minor for piano and orchestra, a piece that will be conducted by Thomas Bough, NIU Professor of Music, Conductor of Wind Symphony and Head of Athletic Bands.
The NIU Steelband will also perform a Roberto De Leon arrangement of Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol’s Caravan, and the DHS Steelband will also perform Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling and Matthew Schneider’s arrangement of Arturo Sandoval’s Mambo Caliente. The School of Music’s newest ensemble Banda NIU will perform De Leon’s arrangement of Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga’s El Toro Mambo. Banda is the most popular subgenre of Mexican music and features brass, clarinets, percussion and singers. Banda NIU is directed by Christopher Scanlon, Assistant Professor of Music.
In a piece conducted by Asada and arranged by NIU alum Abe Breiling, the NIU Steelband will play Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor “Moonlight” as the Dimensions Dance Academy performs.
The world premiere performance of Landscapes, written by Dr. James Gourlay will feature Gourlay on tuba and Teague on steelpan.
The All-University Steelband will perform Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and the CSA Steelband will perform Dr. Ray Holman’s O’ Trinidad, arranged by Asada.
The DeKalb High School Steelband is directed by Steve Lundin. The DeKalb High School Treble Symphonic Choir is directed by Travis Erickson. Miranda Cortes is the director of Dimensions Dance Academy.
Huskie Spotlight: Meredith Vandre, Music Education, ’22
What did you want to be when you were growing up? When I was growing up I changed what I wanted to be fairly frequently. I wanted to be all of the things kids usually say: teacher, actress, doctor, police officer, etc. I am pursuing a degree in music education so I am pursuing a career in one of the things I wanted to be I suppose.
What is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of study? My major is in Music Education and I chose this path after working with kids in after school theatre and music programs and realizing that was what I wanted to do full time.
What is your favorite thing about studying and/or playing music at NIU? I love the faculty and staff in the music program. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful to me in trying to achieve my goal. Being a non-traditional student can be incredibly stressful and they have been great in helping me to navigate everything required for being a music education major.
How have you connected with other students at NIU? I find that the ensembles have helped me to connect with other students. The flute studio is really starting to feel like family and I have gotten to know a lot of amazing musicians through participation in various ensembles.
Are you involved in any student organizations or extra-curricular activities? I wish I had more time to be involved in more things but as a non-traditional student balancing school, work, and my two kids has been a challenge. I have been participating in All-University Steelband which is not required for my major but has been a fantastic experience that I hope to continue next semester.
Why did you choose NIU to study music? I had started my music degree here ten years ago and it was a great program but my life kind of got in the way. I reached out to the School of Music to kind of feel out the idea of coming back and ended up enrolled in classes by the end of the week because of their help and support.
Who has been one of your favorite instructors/professors and why? What course do they teach? This is the hardest question! I wouldn’t even be completing this degree without the help of so many people. Dr. Mary Lynn Doherty has helped me schedule my classes, navigate financial aid, and figure out exactly what I need to do as a Post Baccalaureate student. Dr. Thomas Bough who has directed my Wind Symphony class has been a fantastic support to me and always helps to remind me to breathe and focus on my priorities. Dr. Kerry Burch who taught my History of American Education class really helped to solidify my dedication to teaching.
Where is your favorite spot on campus or in the community? Why are you drawn to it? My favorite spot is outside the concert hall in the large lobby. The sun coming in through the windows is fantastic for relaxing and studying.
What advice would you give to a student who is applying to colleges? I highly recommend making connections with the professors you will be working with. It can make or break your experience at the college. Make sure that these are the people that you want to be working with for the next four years.
Coming to college, what is something that you have had to learn to do differently? I have definitely had to learn to communicate a little differently and learn to say ‘no’ to things that I might want to do but can’t fit in my schedule easily. I am someone who tries to figure things out and help everyone who asks but juggling so many things has made me prioritize and learn to say ‘no.’
What do you do to relax or recharge? I love to sing or play familiar music on my instruments or work on counted cross stitch to relax.
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