Have band. Will travel. It was an extraordinary winter for the TCU School of Music as its marching band, wind symphony orchestra, percussion ensemble and jazz ensemble traveled the Western Hemisphere, playing at some of the world’s most renown musical institutions: The 26th Havana International Jazz Festival. The 122nd Tournament of Roses Parade. The 97th Rose Bowl Game. Super Bowl XLV pregame show. Carnegie Hall.

All since mid-December.

The Cuba trip took the TCU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Professor Curt Wilson, to the Teatro Mella and the National Theater. As invited guests, TCU became one of the first major universities to perform in Cuba since the 1960s.

By the end of December, the 270-member TCU Marching Band was off to Pasadena to perform in the famous Tournament of Roses Parade, which dates to 1890. More than 47 million people from 200 countries watched the Frogs march the 5.5-mile route along Colorado Boulevard on nine networks.

The band also had the distinction of playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the beginning of the bowl game itself.
The spring semester had barely begun when the band was marching again in January in the Fort Worth Stock Show Parade and a citywide celebration of the Rose Bowl victory.

About two weeks later, the marching band was called on again by ESPN to play for the “Mike and Mike in the Morning” radio show, which broadcast live from Sundance Square starting at 5 a.m. The program kicked off the network’s coverage of Super Bowl XLV activities.
They performed twice more on ESPN in downtown Fort Worth and then reprised their eight-minute Rose Bowl halftime routine of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Malaguena” before Sunday’s big game on Fox.

Later in February, the wind symphony, jazz ensemble and percussion ensemble played at two New York City landmarks — Merkin Hall and Carnegie Hall.

“It’s kind of like the musical equivalent of the football team playing in the Rose Bowl,” said Richard Gipson, director of the School of Music.

“These are concert venues that represent the pinnacle of performance.”

Bobby Francis, conductor of the TCU Wind Symphony, said it was a great opportunity for students, noting that students left the performance with memories and a feeling of musical history.

“I told them that this was a one-of-a-kind opportunity. It’s probably the one performance venue in the entire world that people anywhere in the world know just from the name,” he said. “It’s historical, it’s prestigious just hearing the name Carnegie Hall.”

They’re ready for an encore.

On the Web:
Paul Cortese account of Cuba trip