Dedication of the George Steinbrenner Band Building -- August 21, 2007
Good morning!
The University of Florida's first band was organized in 1913, seven years after the university opened its doors in Gainesville. There were 16 student musicians and a student director. Performers played their own instruments, and practices were held in a spare classroom in Anderson Hall.
This didn't work out so well because families who lived across University Avenue complained about the noise. Making matters worse, President Albert Murphree's office was in Anderson Hall, a fact the musicians were not allowed to forget.
Today, the Pride of the Sunshine Fightin' Gator Marching Band counts 300 musicians in its ranks. And, the Marching Band is just the largest of no less than 12 College of Fine Arts bands whose performers hail from all over this university.
Whether you are attending a football game or an evening performance, the renowned UF Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band and other bands are at the heart of our athletic and cultural life.
But, that drumming and brass melody you sometimes hear welling up from Norman Field...that's the sound of the Marching Band practicing in the only place all the performers will fit – in the great outdoors. It's been nearly 100 years, yet our bands don't have a home they can call their own.
Thankfully, this song has just about been sung.
The building whose construction we are celebrating today will finally give the bands their very own, very beautiful space to practice and perform. The new George Steinbrenner Band Building will have a 5,600-square-foot rehearsal hall, room enough for every single member of the Marching Band and their instruments...And, yes, that includes the tubas and sousaphones.
The acoustics will be state-of-the-art, enhancing the quality of the sound while leaving the neighbors unperturbed. There will be 3,500 feet of storage space and a comprehensive, 1,600-square-foot music library. Lobby areas, offices and a conference room will round out the interior. What's more, this new building is part of a longer range effort to renovate and enhance the entire School of Music.
Even as this university branches out into areas of education and research that our founders never dreamed of, the arts and music remain central to our mission. In fact, this building is the second in a series of cultural art facilities that are being completed in concert with the university's strategic plan.
As is surely obvious from the name, the owner of the New York Yankees – a huge Gator fan – is the source of the generous donation that helped make this building possible.
Another big-hearted benefactor was Stephen Stills, the guitarist with Crosby, Stills & Nash and a part-time Gainesville resident. For his donation, we are naming the rehearsal hall the Stephen Stills Band Rehearsal Room. We are grateful to George Steinbrenner, Stephen Stills and the many other donors who made this building possible.
Nearly a century ago, a handful of student performers practiced in a spare classroom. Tomorrow, hundreds of musicians will fill a building that is on par or superior to any band building at any university in this country.
If you love the sound of the Marching Band practices wafting across campus, rest assured, the Band will still hold outdoor drill rehearsals. But, as Crosby, Stills and Nash once put it, we will soon also have "a very, very, very fine house."
Thank you!
Bernie Machen