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Marching Band performs Sept. 25
Furman University’s Marching Band, The Paladin Regiment, will present its annual Marching Band Extravaganza concert Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium.
The concert, part of Furman’s Cultural Life Program, is open to the public and is held in conjunction with Family Weekend at the university. Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for adults and $3 for students.
Under the direction of Furman’s Jay Bocook, The Paladin Regiment will highlight the variety of functions and roles it performs during the course of a Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium. The Paladin Regiment will celebrate Furman University with traditional songs during the pre-game show, and will also pay homage to the United States during the ceremony.
The Paladin Regiment is one of six major ensembles in the Furman Band program. Consisting of 115 members, the band performs at all home games, selected away games, and high school marching band festivals.
For more information, please contact the Furman Band Office at (864) 294-3069.
About Jay Bocook
A native of Clearwater, Fla., Jay Bocook is recognized internationally as a composer, arranger, conductor and educator. Bocook’s work has been performed at the Olympic Games (1984, 1996 and 2002). In 2003, his music transcriptions of noted film composer John Williams were premiered by the United States Marine Band in a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington. An encore performance with Williams and the “President’s Own” took place in 2008. Bocook was a contributing arranger to a musical called “CyberJam” that opened to rave reviews in 2003 at London’s Queens Theater. His arrangements were also featured in “Mix,” which opened in Japan (2008). More recently, he was commissioned by Furman University to compose music for the 2015 inauguration of Elizabeth Davis, the university’s 12th president.
In 1982, Bocook was appointed director of bands at Furman. He left the university in 1989 to pursue other opportunities, but returned in 2000 as director of athletic bands. He has served as assistant conductor of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and remains a principal composer and arranger for Hal Leonard Corporation, where he has published more than 600 compositions and arrangements. He is the music arranger for the 10-time World Champion Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2009, Bocook was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the American Bandmasters Association.