August 7, 2008
Husky Band leader a director of Beijing Olympic Orchestra
When Brad McDavid led the Husky Marching Band on a tour to China in 2001, little did he realize that the performances were also an audition.
McDavid, director of Husky athletic bands, has been selected as one of the international band directors for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Orchestra, which will perform at various venues before and during the Olympic Games.
In the summer of 2001, McDavid led the Husky Band and an alumni band to China, where they performed in front of audiences as large as 4,000 people, which included officials from the Chinese army band. Apparently, these officials were so impressed with their first exposure to the American-style marching band that they included these groups in the Olympic program.
More than 2,000 high school and college students will be playing in the band. The American subgroup is known as the “Red” band; there also will be a “Green” band from Australia and the South Pacific and a “Gold” Chinese Band. The American band includes 300 members from the Pacific Northwest and 63 from the UW. Having the UW contingent was a requirement for McDavid, and was negotiated with Chinese officials nearly two years ago. The other regional selections were made by McDavid’s colleagues in other bands.
Although the Red band doesn’t play in opening ceremonies, it will be playing at concerts around the city, and the combined band will play at Tiananmen Square, among other locations.
“We’ve been rehearsing separately and conferring by telephone and through the Internet,” McDavid said. “People will be flying in at various times and we’ll have two days to rehearse together. It’s been a real challenge to mesh together our different styles into one coherent marching band.”
The musicians will all be housed at their own special Olympic facility outside Beijing. They also will have some group sightseeing opportunities including the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
In addition to the performances in Beijing, the band also will be going to Shanghai. In all, there will be 15 days of festivities and fun.
Then, McDavid returns to Seattle with just two weeks to prepare for the first Husky football game, in Eugene, Ore.
