Longhorn Band director resigns
Ed Bailey
Most of the electronic discussion of this is on the Longhorn Alumni Band
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The first list is for announcements, the second for discussion.
Hook 'em, horns!
Ed Bailey
French horn/Mello, 86-89
LHAB VP, 94-95
P.S. I only read this group occassionally, please email me any replies.
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University of Texas at Austin -- Office of Public Affairs
Contact: Richard Bonnin
Date: May 17, 1995
Glenn Richter steps down after 15 years as director of Longhorn Band to
concentrate on teaching career
AUSTIN, Texas -- After a 15-year career that included performances at two
presidential inaugurations and a featured appearance on the "Today Show"
on NBC-TV, Glenn Richter, director of The University of Texas Longhorn
Band, is stepping down.
Richter, a professor at UT Austin's School of Music, has been granted a
one-year sabbatical from the University, beginning in June. He will resume
his teaching career in the summer of 1996.
"I know that I join countless thousands of people who have enjoyed the
performances of the Longhorn Band over the years, and Glenn Richter has
been a big reason for that," said Dr. Ed Sharpe, vice president for
administration and public affairs at UT. "The continued excellence of the
band during his tenure has inspired a new generation of musicians, but
perhaps his most significant contribution has come in the area of leadership.
Over the years, Longhorn Band members have routinely earned the highest
grade point average of any campus organization, a reflection of the priorities
established by the director and his assistants."
Paula Crider, who has served as the band's assistant director since 1982,
has been named interim director. A search for a permanent director will
begin soon, said Dr. Jon Whitmore, dean of the College of Fine Arts.
Richter's tenure as director was distinguished by a "remarkable record
of successes and accomplishments," Whitmore said. "To me, the demands
of the band director are enormous, requiring tremendous energy, commitment
and dedication. It is not surprising that after 15 years, he wants to
pursue other interests.
"But I look forward to continuing to work with one of the best bands in
the country. I am confident that we can maintain the high standards the
band has set. We will be in a transition mode for a brief time, but plan
to move quickly to name a permanent director."
Known as the "Show Band of the Southwest", the Longhorn Band under Richter
was invited to Washington to march in the inaugural parades of Presidents
Ronald Reagan and George Bush. The Reagan inauguration provided a special
memory, Richter said.
"We were among hundreds of bands marching at a downtown Air Force Base near
the Potomac when an announcment came over the loudspeaker that the Iranian
hostages had been released," he said. One of our arrangements was
_America_the_Beautiful_, and we had our 320 band members play it. Soon,
we were joined by all of the other bands who began to sing the words. It
was a moving experience."
In 1986, the band received the Louis Sudler National Intercollegiate
Marching Band Trophy, awarded for outstanding achievement by a collegiate
marching band over a period of time. That recognition for the band was
determined by a national ballot of collegiate band directors. "The
administration lit the complete Tower orange, with the number one
displayed on each side -- an honor given in recognition of NCAA national
team championships," Richter said. "The entire band marched to the Tower
to celebrate."
As director, Richter said he established three goals early on: Academic
success is the first priority; excellence in music performance comes second;
and leadership performance is third. The academic success of his band members
over the years is one of the things of which he is most proud.
"There is no place in the country that has better students," Richter said.
"That's the magic that makes it all work."
Richter said he and his wife had discussed the idea of his resigning as
band director for the past few years. "When you have a job like this, it's
like being on a very fast merry-go-round," he siad. "You enjoy the ride,
but how do you get off at the right time? After teaching college bands for
20 years, and high school and college bands for 25 years, this seems like
a good opportunity to explore other areas while I still possess enough
energy to make a contribution." A renowned researcher on the use of computers
in marching bands, Richter said he plans to spend the next year establishing
a home office using the latest in computer technology to further his research
efforts.
"I also have some music writing projects that have been on hold for the last
decade that I want to get off the back burner," Richter said. "And I would
like to conduct some site visits at other universities and public schools
to further collaborations in the field of music. Conducting outreach programs
for the School of Music is another possibility. Plus, I have a son enrolled
in the Plan II program at UT, and a daughter who is a sophmore in high school.
Now, I will have the chance to spend more time with them."
A native of New Braunfels, Richter is an alumnus of UT, where he earned
bachelor of music education and master of music degrees and was president
of the Longhorn Band. Before becoming band director, he had taught at the
College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and the University of Michigan,
where he was conductor of the Michigan Marching Band.
--
Ed Bailey | Voice: (512) 471-4198 Fax: (512) 471-6715
Inst. for Fusion Studies | Internet: bailey@{hagar,ziggy}.ph.utexas.edu,
Univ. of Texas at Austin | u70...@c.nersc.gov, or pna...@chpc.utexas.edu
Austin TX 78712 | "No pithy quotes. Just email addresses."