The ISU marching band, ISU Wind Ensemble and ISU Jazz Ensemble I will perform the annual Band Extravaganza concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at Stephens Auditorium.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster and at the door. The cost for students is $5, and $10 for adults. 

“This is an annual concert that features the excellence of our band program,” said Michael Golemo, conductor of the ISU Wind Ensemble and director of bands. “It includes both of our top concert bands, the top jazz ensemble and the [ISU marching band]. This is the only indoor performance of the [ISU marching band], so this is a very special event.”

The Band Extravaganza concert is well attended every November by not only Iowa State’s staff and students but also many high school students, who come to enjoy the concert.

“It’s a celebration of Cyclone’s spirit and sound,” Golemo said.

The ISU marching band will feature the drum line in Band Extravaganza and a lot of visual effects. This includes playing a lot of the highlights from the season and many traditional songs, including the ISU Fight Song.

“If you’re a Cyclone fan and you like the marching band, this is a great chance to hear them indoors, where you can really appreciate the musicianship — which is sometimes hard to do in the football [stadium],” Golemo said. 

The ISU Wind Ensemble will give a special showcase of “Star Wars” music, in anticipation of the upcoming “Star Wars” movie this winter.

“With Star Wars, there [are] a lot of different arrangements,” said Elaine Kramer, senior in music and the first flute in the ISU Wind Ensemble. “This is like the real deal. This is not like your middle school arrangement of Star Wars — it’s really hard and it’s really an awesome [arrangement].”

Benjamin Nelson, senior in music, said the group began working on materials for the performance about a month ago.

A lot of times [we] pick tunes that we’ve done before [that are] still impressive and can demonstrate our skills,” Nelson said.

Nelson previously participated in the marching band for three years and is now a saxophone player in both the ISU Wind Ensemble and ISU Jazz Ensemble I.

“Within the marching band, we decked out in four uniforms and [are] sweating like nobody’s business,” Nelson said. “But [performing is] really a positive experience. It’s a great way to share what the department has to offer with the community.”

Michael Erman, senior in music, said Band Extravaganza is very challenging because songs from throughout the year are performed at the show.

“It’s pretty interesting because we play so much music in one day, where normally we play for football games,” said Erman, who plays snare drum in the marching band and percussion in the ISU Wind Ensemble. “Normally we [have] a good mixture of songs and good mixture of music [with] all different kinds of genres.”

Students will have a chance to enjoy their favorite songs from the ISU Wind Ensemble at this year’s Band Extravaganza.

“It’s three amazing bands that have worked all year on the music that they’re gonna perform and show,” said Ashley Kohagen, senior in agricultural engineering and ISU marching band drum major. “It is an opportunity to really get close and see [three] amazing [bands]. [Y]ou don’t get an opportunity to see it very often because we only do this concert once a year.”

Kohagen said attending Band Extravaganza is also a great opportunity for high school students who might be interested in joining college bands to get a taste of what each band is like.

“[This concert] definitely [would] be the place to go because you get three different varieties of music all at once and get to see what it is like to be in that college experience and [how] much the intensity and fun [of] everything just ramp[s] up,” Kohagen said. “It’s one of my favorite concerts that we do in the entire year.” 

For more information about Band Extravaganza or the three bands, visit the music department website.