When the Syracuse University Marching Band (SUMB), outfitted in new uniforms, climbed up the Hendricks Chapel steps to perform prior to the Sept. 5 Syracuse Orange football home opener, it carried with it the legacy of 125 years of making music and memories.

That legacy has been shaped by generations of students, performers and traditions, as the band has evolved from a small campus ensemble into the nationally recognized organization it is today.

For current members, that legacy is reflected not only in the band’s traditions but also in the relationships and experiences it fosters.

Emma Holman ’27, a percussionist and drum major, says the SUMB has  given her best friends, her partner and the opportunity to be surrounded by her people.

“When you’re drum major, 200 people are waiting on your cue. That kind of pressure either breaks you or teaches you how to lead calmly, and I think I’ve become a steadier, more decisive person because of it,” Holman says.

The stories of students like Holman, alongside the milestones and traditions that have shaped the band for more than a century, are central to a new exhibition celebrating the SUMB’s 125th anniversary.

The exhibition, “The Pride of the Orange: 125 Years of the SU Marching Band,” will run throughNov. 7. There will be an open house Friday, Sept. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the College of Visual and Performing Arts Warehouse Gallery, located in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., Syracuse.

The exhibition, curated by museum studies alumnus Daniel Griffaton G’26, explores the history and traditions of the band.

A Universitywide Community

Current band members come from all years and majors, as they are not required to be music majors or to audition for the band. The band is a one-credit course offered in the fall semester through the Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).“We have a great collection of students from across campus and from our partner colleges in the area. Many people think that college marching bands are made up entirely of music majors, but that is far from the case,” says Tim Diem, associate professor in the Setnor School and director of SU Bands. “Every year we have over 80 different majors represented, and when you include minors, there are over 110 areas of study, including every college on campus, that these students are pursuing.”

Longtime director of SU Bands Bradley Ethington retired this summer and Natalie Smith, visiting assistant professor in the Setnor School and assistant director of SU Bands, has joined the community.

Planting Orange Musical Roots

Now known as “The Pride of the Orange” and “New York’s College Band,” the band was brought together for the first time in 1901. Hamilton E. Cogswell, supervisor of music for the Syracuse Public School District, directed the first rehearsal of the band on Feb. 4.

The band performed its first concert, in uniform, on May 9 of that year in the Crouse College Auditorium. Its first football game appearance also took place that year, on Oct. 9, at a Syracuse vs. Lafayette College game, and its first men’s basketball appearance happened on Jan. 9, 1909, at a game against St. Lawrence.

The band’s fight song, “Down the Field,” was first played on Nov. 4, 1913, and continues to be played today.

The Evolution of the SUMB Through the Years

 The SUMB has a deep and storied history that has helped it evolve into the modern collegiate band it is today. Among the changes along the way:

• Women were welcomed as part of the band for the first time in 1941, as most of the male band members had shipped off to fight in World War II. Majorettes and the first baton twirler, Jessie Anne Harp, made their debuts in 1945.
• Second twirler Dottie Glover performed at the men’s basketball game in 1952 accompanied by the first-ever basketball pep band. That pep band continues on today as the Sour Sitrus Society.
• The band’s first postseason appearance was in the 1953 Orange Bowl. Numerous other bowl appearances, a Super Bowl appearance in 2014, a performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and performances around the country and abroad have since taken place.
• Judy Delp, the twirler during the 1962 season, was the first referred to as “The Orange Girl.” By the fall of 1966, women were invited to march with the band as musicians; 22 joined the band that year.
• The band toured Europe in August 1970 and won three awards at the World Band Festival in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Upon returning to the field in Syracuse that fall, the public address announcer introduced the band as “The Pride of the Orange,” tagging the band with the moniker it is still known by today.

The uniforms were last updated in 2013, and this year’s refresh is a special nod to this historic anniversary.

The SUMB of Today

The Marching Band continues the traditions of the past, such as performing on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quad before each football game and celebrating home victories by “flipping the banner” at Varsity Pizza.

Holman, the drum major, says her favorite memory of the past three years in SUMB was her first show on the Quad. “Quad shows are different from anything else we do because for those few minutes all eyes are on the band. We’re not an extension of the football team’s halftime, and we’re not background noise for anyone else’s event. We are our own organization, performing as ourselves,” she says.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating the first 125 years of the SU Bands. The thousands of students that have taken part over the years have built a great tradition and added greatly to the atmosphere on the SU campus,” says Diem. “Here’s to the next 125!”