Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Sara Norgon Junior trumpet player Katie Hebert performs a series of pop songs from different countries with the Blugold Marching Band during the half-time show at Saturday's football game at Carson Park. The songs were chosen for the band's upcoming trip to Italy and Greece to where the Blugolds will perform at the Vatican.

Media Credit: Sara Norgon

Italy, Greece - and a performance for the Pope.

The Blugold Marching Band, accompanied by Color Guard, will experience all these as it takes a trip overseas this winter. New Year's Day marks the big day for the marching band, when it will perform for the Pope's papal blessing.

"It was time to step up and take the band somewhere really big," said Randy Dickerson, the band's director, adding that he had to apply for the performance on New Year's Day.

Dickerson said he learned two years ago the Vatican had begun accepting applications for American bands to perform at the blessing. Last year, Dickerson made the trip to Europe to see how it worked.

They had to apply through a tour agency because the Vatican only sends invitations through third parties, Dickerson said. Last fall he contacted the agency and in January he sent in the required material for an application.

The application included recordings, pictures of the band and a list of music the band would play. In March, Dickerson said he found out they had been invited.

And, since the band was making such a big trip, Dickerson said they decided to add a few other stops.

The band will make its first appearance in Florence, Italy, where they will perform a state show, Dickerson said. Then they will head to Rome for three days awaiting the New Year's Day performance.

Students will play a fanfare for the entrance of the Pope. After the papal blessing, the band will play a recessional and then perform a 20-minute outdoor concert. They will play another state show in Athens, Greece, before they return to the United States Jan. 6.

Dickerson said he looks forward to the trip because it will allow the band to play on a different turf.

"This is the opportunity to have the band seen by an international audience," he said,

Junior Mike Renneke, a drum major, said he is excited for the performance because it will offer an experience like no other.

"It's going to be the biggest crowd I've ever played for in terms of anything," Renneke said. "One-hundred thousand - that's just astronomical compared to Carson Park "

This is especially important because the band has grown significantly since he started in 2000. In his first year, there were 60 band members.

"This year, we're marching 202," he said.

Because of cost reasons, only about 160 people will make the trip in December, Dickerson said. The students have to pay most of their own ways, at $2,400 a person, but they plan to alleviate some cost through fundraising.

Dickerson said the first fundraising opportunity will be Oct. 9, when the band will perform in Zorn arena.

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