Ohio University’s annual Band-O-Rama returned Thursday, featuring music from the University Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony and the Marching 110.
The free concert was held in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, located on 33 University Terrace.
William Talley, director of bands at OU, said there are several musical ensembles Bobcats can join.
“The marching band is the most visible aspect of our instrumental music program,” Talley said. “But our concert bands, the Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, are audition bands and they consist primarily of music majors.”
At the beginning of each semester, students audition and are placed in one of the two ensembles.
“The Wind Symphony is the most advanced group, and then the Symphonic Band is kind of the second tier of players,” Talley said. “The University Band is not an audition group, and most of the players that are in there are community members or just students who are at OU who maybe played in their high school band and want to continue to play.”
Talley said Band-O-Rama’s name comes from the fact that all of OU’s bands participate, and the concert is held as part of the Honor Band Festival for high schoolers.
“We’ll have about 180 high schoolers here on campus arriving Thursday and Friday morning … so while those students are here, in addition to preparing music with us, we want them to see what opportunities there are to perform music on our campus,” Talley said. “And so that’s what the Band-O-Rama concert is about, letting them see all the ensembles that are available to them.”
Talley said performing is paramount for college students, as they can use performance opportunities to prepare for their future careers.
“The opportunities to perform for people and put all of our hard work in practice and rehearsal into practice for performance are really key, and that’s what we need to learn how to do as professional musicians,” Talley said.
Some students are involved in multiple bands, as various members of the 110 also participate in the other ensembles on campus. Maecy Voytek, a junior studying hearing, speech and language science, is a member of the 110. Voytek said she went early to the concert to see her friends perform in their numerous ensembles.
“I think the audience doesn’t realize that there are a ton of Marching 110 members in the concert bands,” Voytek said. “So I have quite a few friends that are in the Wind Symphony, which performs right before the 110. So they have to get off stage and switch instruments because they don’t play the same instrument in the Wind Symphony and the 110.”
The Symphonic and Wind Symphony bands presented audience members with thoughtfully arranged performances, as days and weeks have been put into perfecting them.
“It’s really nice to hear some really well put together charts, especially from the Symphonic Band and the Wind Symphony,” Voytek said. “They are just absolutely beautiful every single time.”
Alden Laipply, a sophomore studying engineering technology and management, is a member of the 110 and said he was excited to hear the various sets performed.
“It’s cool because it’s something that I’m not really exposed to most of the time,” Laipply said. “I am not in (University Band) or any other band, so it’s neat to be able to come and see them, especially because I have so many friends in them.”
Band-O-Rama, while initially intended for high schoolers, also provided the campus and the neighborhood a chance to hear carefully crafted performances.
“I think everyone should be involved with the arts,” Laipply said. “I think it’s really important, no matter what you do. I mean, I’m an engineer, so I don’t really do a lot of artsy stuff besides this, but I really love it. I think it’s really important.”
