The Syracuse University Marching Band has the unique opportunity to play at the Heisman Gala — a prestigious event that will be broadcast on ESPN channels. Despite the pressure, Julianna Mateyko isn’t stressed.

‘It’s nerve-racking, but it’ll be fun. It’s nothing compared to playing for 45,000 people in the Dome on ESPN,’ said Mateyko, a junior music education major who plays tenor saxophone.

The SU Marching Band will play at the 77^th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Gala next Monday. The ceremony, which will take place in New York City, honors the recipient of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, college football’s highest honor. The winner of the award will be announced on ESPN this Saturday.

College bands and college football go hand in hand,’ said Justin Mertz, director of the marching band. ‘Bands are an important tradition.’

SU’s band was the first college band invited to play at a Heisman Gala in 2007 and is currently considered to be the ‘Pride of the Orange.’

The gala will posthumously honor the 50th anniversary of SU alumnus Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis, the first African-American recipient of the award, graduated from SU in 1961 and died of leukemia in 1962.

Mertz said the band will play the school’s alma mater in honor of Davis and that there will probably also be a video montage and a speaker to honor him.

‘It will be very dignified,’ he said.

Two other former Heisman Trophy recipients, Vinny Testaverde, who played at the University of Miami, and Eric Crouch, who played for the University of Nebraska, will be honored. During the ceremony, the SU band will play their schools’ fight songs.

Mateyko is one of 30 section leaders who will attend and play at the gala; the entire 200-person band couldn’t attend. She said to prepare for the event, the band members had to learn a lot of new music in one rehearsal. The band members had to prepare to play the fight songs of the two former Heisman Trophy winners and had to learn the school fight songs for each of this year’s potential Heisman Trophy winners.

The band will also play before the gala begins. In keeping with the idea of tradition, the band will play some of its usual pep-up songs as people are seated. The difference will be that band members will be dressed in formal wear instead of their usual marching band uniforms.

Mertz said he is excited to play the gala.

 ‘It’s a real privilege for us to represent Syracuse University,’ he said.  ‘It’ll be a great showcase.’

The members attending the event had to change their exam schedules to go. ‘Everyone has been so supportive,’ Mertz said about the people involved in making the trip to the gala possible.

Mateyko knows that there is a lot of pressure on the band to perform all of the music well but isn’t worried. 

Said Mateyko: ‘It’s all in a day’s work.’

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Published on December 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm

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