Biography
The University of Michigan Marching Band has long been identified by its signature fight song, "The Victors," and traces its development from a student-directed ensemble launched in 1896 into a prominent fixture of collegiate music. What started with just 22 members now draws an average of 400 participants annually, drawn from every college and all three University of Michigan campuses. The group sustains its allegiance to marching band heritage while adopting current technology, securing praise for inventive and sometimes daring halftime productions plus joint appearances with Beyoncé, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and NASA.
Its foundation stems from the efforts of 17-year-old Ann Arbor student Harry dePont, who placed an open call for campus musicians and assembled over two dozen players on November 13, 1896. Initially guided by conductor Ray P. Warren, the student-operated outfit built steady support through performances at school track meets and baseball games, yet it operated without formal university backing and encountered repeated financial strains along with internal disputes during its first decades. In 1913 the U-M Board of Regents authorized sufficient funding, then appointed Wilfred Wilson as conductor in 1915; his direction increased membership from 40 musicians to nearly 100 at the time of his departure in 1926. William D. Revelli assumed the conductor post in 1935 and remained for the following 36 years, during which the University of Michigan Marching Band rose to rank among the most distinguished collegiate ensembles.
Halftime shows have incorporated collaborations with an array of notable artists and institutions, among them Beyoncé, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and NASA. The band also features many of the university’s varied academic and community resources, including the SMTD Musical Theatre department, the U-M Spectrum Center, the U-M Ginsberg Center, and additional programs. Its recorded output encompasses the albums Kick Off, USA, Touchdown USA! Big Ten Marches, and Stars & Stripes Forever.
Its foundation stems from the efforts of 17-year-old Ann Arbor student Harry dePont, who placed an open call for campus musicians and assembled over two dozen players on November 13, 1896. Initially guided by conductor Ray P. Warren, the student-operated outfit built steady support through performances at school track meets and baseball games, yet it operated without formal university backing and encountered repeated financial strains along with internal disputes during its first decades. In 1913 the U-M Board of Regents authorized sufficient funding, then appointed Wilfred Wilson as conductor in 1915; his direction increased membership from 40 musicians to nearly 100 at the time of his departure in 1926. William D. Revelli assumed the conductor post in 1935 and remained for the following 36 years, during which the University of Michigan Marching Band rose to rank among the most distinguished collegiate ensembles.
Halftime shows have incorporated collaborations with an array of notable artists and institutions, among them Beyoncé, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and NASA. The band also features many of the university’s varied academic and community resources, including the SMTD Musical Theatre department, the U-M Spectrum Center, the U-M Ginsberg Center, and additional programs. Its recorded output encompasses the albums Kick Off, USA, Touchdown USA! Big Ten Marches, and Stars & Stripes Forever.
Albums
Singles
