A Galesburg-area high school band will ring in the New Year with some songs and basketball in Champaign.
ROWVA High School’s band has been invited to serve as the pep band when the University of Illinois women’s basketball team plays host to the Washington Huskies in a nationally televised game today in State Farm Center. Tipoff is set for noon on Big 10 Network.
The Tigers are filling in for the Marching Illini band that accompanied the Illini football team to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
Band Director Wes Anderson reports 40 members of the ROWVA band will travel to Champaign to perform at State Farm Center.
“Barry Houser (director of the U of I Band) put a post on Facebook that they couldn’t play the game because they were in the Citrus Bowl, so we said we would be the band for the women’s game that same day,” Anderson tells WGIL.
“The ROWVA Tigers are all about being on a big stage, showing up, having fun and having a good attitude. We are grateful for the U of I and how accommodating they have been and letting us have such a great opportunity to perform. Band people help other band people and Barry and the whole team at U of I have been incredible and professional.
Anderson said ROWVA has “a long tradition of great bands,” adding about 40% of the student population participates in the program.
The ROWA band, according to Anderson, is expected to play 10 times Tuesday, covering six different songs, including Sweet Caroline, Hey Baby, Eye of the Tiger, 25 or 6 to 4, and Dance the Night Away.
Tuesday won’t be ROWVA’s last time on the big stage, as the band will March on Main Street USA at Walt Disney World in Orlando the first week of June.
