John Benson of Bellevue to perform in Cornhusker Marching Band

2017 Aug 29

John Benson of Bellevue is part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 300-member Cornhusker Marching Band, which will make its 2017 debut Sept. 2 at Memorial Stadium with pregame and halftime performances at Nebraska's football season opener against Arkansas State.

Benson, a senior meteorology-climatology major, is a percussionist.

This year's band includes representatives from nearly every region of the country; however, 78 percent of the students are from Nebraska. Twenty-two percent of the students are music or music education majors. The rest are studying in more than 60 other degree programs across campus. Each band member passed two auditions to gain admittance to the group.

Anthony M. Falcone, associate director of bands in the Glenn Korff School of Music, is the director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. Douglas W. Bush is the assistant director of bands and assistant marching band director. Carolyn Barber, Ron and Carol Cope Professor of Music, is director of bands. Other band staff members are graduate teaching assistants Sarah Aymond, Christopher Brandt and Ruben Gomez. Mike Roe is the percussion instructor, and Michaela Vestecka is the color guard instructor. Rose Johnson is the administrative technician, Jan Deaton is the office associate, and Nolan Schmit is the "voice" of the band.

The drum majors for the 2017 marching band are sophomore Jacob Coughlin and senior Megan Coughlin, brother and sister from Omaha, and junior Rachel Hoffman of Beatrice. The twirler is junior Hannah Kollmann of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Cornhusker Marching Band, which resides in the Korff School, was founded in 1879 as an ROTC unit and is one of the oldest marching bands in the nation. The band has received many honors throughout its 138-year history, including a Distinguished Recognition Trophy presented by John Philip Sousa in 1927 and the John Philip Sousa Foundation's Sudler Trophy in 1996 for high musical standards and innovative marching routines. The Sudler Trophy is the highest honor given to collegiate bands.

The Pride of All Nebraska has been seen by millions of viewers on television. The band was the first collegiate ensemble to perform at all of the major football bowl games (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar and Cotton).