Now, the University of Houston's spirit ambassadors are being recognized for their recent appearance in the 2009 Martin Luther King Grande Parade.
The Spirit of Houston will receive an award for being the parade's top college/university marching band. Band members will receive this honor during a ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m., today at Houston City Hall (901 Bagby St.). This event will be hosted by UH alumna and Houston City Council Representative Melissa Noriega.
"The Spirit of Houston Marching Band, while it is based in the Moores School of Music, is very much a symbol for the entire university through its outreach to the community and beyond," said David Ashley White, director of the Moores School of Music. "I am so very proud of all that its director, David Bertman, and the band have accomplished over the past decade, and any award that it wins is richly deserved."
The Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band has long been an institution in the city. The 250-member band is a regular participant in the annual Rodeo Parade and dazzles fans during Cougar football halftime shows. It has performed at history-making sporting events such as the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match at the Astrodome and the electrifying Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show at Reliant Stadium alongside Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. To learn more about the band, visit www.uhbands.com.
The Moores School of Music is one of the premier music schools in the United States. Offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, it serves approximately 600 students annually. Areas of study include composition, conducting, performance, theory and musicology. Its faculty consists of internationally recognized performers, composers and scholars. Among its ensembles are the Moores School Symphony Orchestra, Moores Jazz Ensemble, Moores Opera Center, Concert Chorale, Concert Women's Chorus, Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. A majority of the school's concerts are performed in the 800-seat Moores Opera House. For more details on the Moores School of Music, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/.