USC band to make Walt Disney Concert Hall debut on Friday

Since the early 1980s the USC Trojan Marching Band has performed annually at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s summer home at the Hollywood Bowl, accompanying the orchestra for the finale of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” This week, the Trojans will perform their first concert at the LA Phil’s winter home, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

On Friday, the USC Concert Band will present an encore of its hit spring concert Six: The Musical In Concert, in conjunction with the USC School of Dramatic Arts. The USC Trojan Marching Band, USC Song Leaders and USC Spirit Leaders will then perform the traditional post-concert “rally” featuring the university’s fight songs and trademark rock hits. Additionally, in a nod to the venue’s namesake, the marching band will join the concert band to kick off the evening with a medley of music from the first 100 years of Walt Disney animated films.

The USC Concert Band presented Six: The Musical In Concert in April to a receptive audience at USC’s Bovard Auditorium. Six, which premiered in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2017, reframes the story of King Henry VIII from the perspective of his six wives. Each queen has a solo feature modeled after pop music icons such as Beyoncé, Adele, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande. Five of the six featured performers are students from the USC School of Dramatic Arts; the sixth is USC band student Rachel Cervantes, who plays trumpet when she’s not portraying Catherine Howard.

Six marks the first collaboration between the USC band and the USC School of Dramatic Arts, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Professors and staff from the school coached and outfitted the six performers. Costumes were designed by two of the school’s BFA theatrical design students, and the choreographer was also a School of Dramatic Arts student.

Six: The Musical is Spring concert reimagined

The co-production, spearheaded by band Director Jacob Vogel and with the cooperation of Dean Emily Roxworthy of the School of Dramatic Arts, marks a reimagining of the USC Concert Band’s traditional spring concert.

“I am so proud of this collaboration between our School of Dramatic Arts and the USC Concert Band and Trojan Marching Band. It represents exactly the kind of innovative, interdisciplinary artistry that showcases the strength of the arts at USC,” Roxworthy said. “It’s such a joy to witness our incredibly strong musical theatre students bring the powerful stories of Six to life alongside the legendary Trojan Marching Band — at such a prestigious venue as Walt Disney Concert Hall. I’m excited about the creative possibilities this partnership opens up for future collaborations between our programs.”

Vogel, who is entering his fifth year leading the program, had the idea after watching a touring production of Six at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. He is excited to now bring the show to one of the most iconic arts venues in the world.

“As the director of The Spirit of Troy, I’m afforded wonderful opportunities, one of which is to conduct on the great stages of Los Angeles,” Vogel said. “While I’ve been to Walt Disney Concert Hall as a patron many times, it’s certainly going to be a thrilling experience to bring the music of Six to life in the storied venue while providing an invaluable experience for our students.”

USC’s Delphine Vasko contributed to this report.