Band Centennial Fund
The Band Centennial Fund was originally known as the Marching Hundred Fund to support Marching Hundred, IU's first organized band in 1896. Each season, the Marching Hundred continues to perform live before thousands of fans, as well as for national television and radio audiences. In 2007, the Marching Hundred was the recipient of the Sudler Trophy, naming it as the outstanding college marching band in the country. Every appearance of the band reinforces the motto of the Marching Hundred: A Tradition of Excellence.
Today, the Band Centennial Fund exists to support all band activities at the Jacobs School of Music. 1996 marked the 100th year of an organized band program at Indiana University. The Department of Bands include the All-campus Band, Big Red Basketball Band, Concert Band, Crabb Band, Marching Hundred, Summer Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble. These bands are recognized as leading groups in the wind band world, performing at many national conventions, such as CBDNA, ABA, and MENC.
The department plays a leading role in commissioning new works for the wind band literature. World premieres have included works by David DeBoor Canfield, David Dzubay, Eric Ewazen, Frederick Fox, Don Freund, Bernhard Heiden, Sydney Hodkinson, Jere Hutcheson, Jonathan Newman, Eugene O'Brien, Michael Schelle, Gunther Schuller, Ellen Spokane, Eric Stokley, David Ward-Steinman, John Stout, Kevin Walczyk, and others.
The Band Centennial Fund supports the activities within the Department of Bands, including funding travel, commissioning new works, recording projects, other special projects, and continuing support for the marching band program.