PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts

- The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

[drumming] [audience cheers] - Band: Rally!

- Funding for the UW Varsity Band Concert is provided by Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

– Band: Step Close!

[cheers and applause] - Announcer: Attention, Badger fans of all ages, please welcome the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!

[8 rim shots] ["On, Wisconsin!"]

And now, introducing the director, Dr. Corey Pompey!

["On, Wisconsin!"]

["Hot Time"] [cheers and applause] - Corey: Good evening, everyone!

Good evening, [cheers] and welcome to the Varsity Band Spring Concert.

You're such a great crowd.

The energy here this evening is infectious.

We love, love seeing it.

This next selection features our tuba section.

And... [cheers and applause] That's more applause than I think any tuba section has ever gotten.

[Band shouts and cheers] This features them.

And the tune is The Jackson's "Blame it on the Boogie."

And it was arranged by one of our tuba section leaders, Travis Miller.

– Travis: Hi, Mom!

[laughter] - Corey: "Blame it on the Boogie."

– Band: Heyyyyy, up!

["Blame it on the Boogie" by The Jacksons] [cheers] [cheers and applause] Corey Pompey: Apparently, they've got moves, too!

[cheers and applause] The tuba section, everyone!

[applause continues] Corey: It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our Assistant Director, Dr. Alexander Gonzalez.

[cheers and applause] - Band: Ssss... Boom.. .

ahhh... [skyrocket whistle] Dr. Alexander Gonzalez.

– To have a gentleman like him: good head on his shoulders; smart, thoughtful; all the things that I'm not!

To have him in that position, we are the better for it.

So, thank you, Alexander, for all that you've done.

[cheers and applause] This is "Havana Like That."

[audience whooping] - Band: Heyyyyy, up!

– Alexander Gonzalez: One, two, ready, and!

["Havana Like That"] [Rumba music] [cheers and applause] - Corey: That chart gets me every time.

Oh!

I enjoy it so much.

I hope you did, too.

Every year, we send out a survey to all of the students in the Band, asking them, "What would you like to play for the upcoming academic year?"

And what they say determines a lot of what we end up playing.

And this next show had to be one of the most requested shows out of that survey.

The interesting thing is, nobody on this stage was born when this music was lighting up the charts.

[cheering] Not a single one!

[cheers and applause] This is our unique take on the music of Queen.

[cheers and applause] We call it, "Bohemian Wait For It."

And see if you can pick out all of the songs.

[cheers] - Band: Heyyyyy, up!

["Bohemian Wait For It"] ["Bohemian Rhapsody"] ["Don't Stop Me Now"] [drum solo] ["Bohemian Rhapsody"] ["Crazy Little Thing Called Love"] ["Bohemian Rhapsody"] [drum solo] ["Somebody To Love"] ["We Are the Champions"] [drum solo] ["Bohemian Rhapsody"] [fireworks hiss] [cheers and applause] ["Space Badgers"] [Band shushes people] - Band member: It's supposed to be a surprise!

– Band member: Anyone?

– Band member: Let me hear you!

[cheers and applause] - Corey: My goodness, this is a great, great crowd.

[crowd cheers] Oh!

This is going to be a good second half!

There's some things coming up I can't wait to see and hear!

Be an adventure.

You see these wonderful people walking out here?

[cheers] This is our percussion section.

[cheers and applause] And.

they are, arguably, the hardest working section in the Band.

[cheers] They're led by our percussion TA, who arranged, choreographed, and taught this number that you are about to hear.

His name: Michael Walling.

[cheers and applause] - Band: Ssss... Boom.. .

ahhh... [skyrocket whistle] Band: Michael Walling, Coach Boom.

– Corey: Enjoy!

[percussion feature] - Band: Ssss... Boom.. .

ahhh... [skyrocket whistle] [cheers and applause] [audience whoops] [cheers and applause] [audience cheers] - Percussion: Go Bad-gers!

[cheers and applause] [cheering] - Corey: For this next tune, we're going to pay homage to The Greatest Generation.

That's the generation that fought and lived through the Second World War.

It was popularized by the Andrews Sisters.

And because it's jazz, I thought, "We have a wonderful person on our staff that can do it" because I love jazz, but getting the Band to swing is not my strong suit.

So, please welcome to the podium to conduct the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," Dr. Matthew Endres.

[cheers and applause] - Band: Ssss... Boom.. .

ahhh... [skyrocket whistle] Band: Dr. Matthew Endres!

["Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"] [drum solo] [drumming slowly] [clangs cymbals] [cheering] [cheers and applause] [drumming] ["Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" continues] [cheers and applause] - Corey: Abraham Stoffel-Murray!

Dr. Matthew Endres!

[cheers and applause] So, at this time, I'd like to take a moment to introduce John Biester.

He's our UW Band announcer, five-year alum of the Badger Band.

Please give him a round of applause.

[applause] He does so much for us.

And we're just so, so thankful for him.

Thank you, John.

We're going to perform for you the "Armed Forces Salute."

– Announcer: Please join the Wisconsin Band in honoring the men and women that have served our country, as well as those that are currently serving our great nation.

If you're a veteran or member of the armed forces, we encourage you to stand when you hear your service song to allow us to thank you for your service to the United States of America.

[cheers and applause] [trumpets play "Reveille"] ["America (My Country 'Tis of Thee).

"] - The United States Coast Guard.

[fireworks burst] The United States Air Force.

[fireworks burst] The United States Navy.

[fireworks burst] The United States Marine Corps.

[fireworks burst] And the United States Army.

[fireworks burst] [cheers and applause] We conclude this evening's salute to Veterans with "America the Beautiful."

["America the Beautiful"] [cheers and applause] - Corey: Thank you to those of you who've served in the military.

[applause] We really appreciate it.

We'd also like to thank the 50+ years of alumni from the Band that have been a part of this organization.

So, if you've ever marched in the Band, please, please stand up.

[cheers and applause] You, this-- all of these people.

Thank you, thank you.

[cheers and applause] Corey: I'd also like to thank the founder of this concert.

Because if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here.

And he's done so much for this program, so much for this institution, and his family has also been wonderful.

And they're here tonight.

And I'd like for you to please give them a round of applause.

Mike Leckrone and his family.

[cheers and applause] [drumroll] Thank you, Mike.

Thank you so much.

And now, we'll close tonight's program with our signature Badger Band Finale.

Thank you again for joining us this evening, everyone.

[cheers and applause] - Band: Heyyyyy, up!

["Songs to Thee, Wisconsin."]

Songs to thee, Wisconsin ever let us sing Praise to alma mater ever let us bring Queen of all the West College we love best Queen of all the West College we love best [drumroll] ["If You Want to be a Badger"] [drumroll] Band: Ah... How do you like me now?

[applause] ["Varsity"] [tubas play very low bass notes] Band: Varsity, varsity U Rah Rah, Wisconsin!

Praise to thee, we sing [echoing] We sing Praise to thee, our alma mater U Rah Rah, Wisconsin!

[drumroll] [trumpet fanfare] Hey!

[inaudible] Praise to thee, our alma mater [drumroll] Band: U Rah Rah, Wisconsin!

U Rah Rah, Wisconsin!

U Rah Rah, Wisconsin!

Heyyyyy, up!

[cheers and applause, drumming] - Corey: You've been a wonderful audience.

I can't tell you how much of a pleasure it's been for us to join you this evening, and we're grateful to you.

Have a good evening, everyone.

["On, Wisconsin"] Corey: We love you for coming.

We never say, "Goodbye," but simply, "We'll see you real soon, and 'On, Wisconsin!'

[cheers and applause] ["On, Wisconsin"] [cheers and applause] Corey: This evening, we're going to say goodbye to our seniors: the Class of 2022.

[cheers and applause] But there are a couple of classes of seniors [sigh] that didn't get to do this concert.

And a lot of them are here this evening, and I want to thank them for all that they've done.

[cheers and applause] You know, the pandemic has done a real, real number on us.

This is the 46th concert, and up until 2020, there were 45 of these.

And to not do it those two years was a real challenge.

Because, you know, we didn't perform for anybody for a full academic year.

So, everything that we know and love about the Band did not happen for a full year.

So then, what reason does someone who's a senior in the Band have to stay around?

[someone in audience yells] Corey: That's why they stayed.

They stayed because they love these people up here and wanted to make sure that the tradition continued and that the new people in the Band knew how to march; they knew how to play; and they really, really helped us get through a difficult time.

The traditional ending for our seniors-- Class of 2022-- is the playing of "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral."

I'm going to get in trouble now.

[breathing with emotion] [someone in audience yells] [cheers and applause] If you're in the Class of 2020 and 2021, please come on up and join us.

[wild cheering and applause] Come on up.

If you're here, come and join us.

Thank you.

[cheers and applause continue] All these seniors here, they mean so much to us.

And we really, really would not be where we are without them.

So, thank you, thank you.

[wild cheering and applause] This is "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral."

["Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral"] [cheers and applause] [drumming] ["1812 Overture"] [cheers and applause] ["You've Said It All"] - Band: When you say Wis-con-sin You've said it all!

[triumphant closing notes] [jubilant cheers and applause] - Funding for the UW Varsity Band Concert is provided by Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.