February 5, 2002 -- From the Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City to the event venues in the mountains and valleys to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium, music will fill the air during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, courtesy of the Olympic Spirit Band.

The band is composed of 132 students from around the state of Utah, including about 70 University of Utah Marching Band members, as well as student musicians from the other colleges and universities in Utah and area high schools. "Close to 400 students auditioned last May, and the students that were selected have been practicing a couple of times a month since June," says Scott Hagen, associate professor of music at the University of Utah and conductor of the U's Marching Band, who led the practice sessions.

In addition to playing at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies-Feb. 8 and Feb. 24, respectively-and the Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games (Mar. 7), the 132-member band will also play at the Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City every night during the Games, starting at about 5:30 p.m. Smaller breakout units-three 15-member groups and one 30-member group-will play at all the event venues, conducted by a variety of stand-up comedians, to entertain visitors. "I don't think there's an event we won't be covering," Hagen notes.

The band will be hard to miss, with members wearing white cowboy hats, long ceremonial coats, and ski pants, and playing on silver instruments, on loan from Yamaha. In addition, Yamaha has loaned 132 herald trumpets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, on which the band will play two fanfares.

The breakout bands will play a selection of Olympic, popular, and favorite American songs, as well as the Olympic theme composed by John Williams, "Call of the Champions."
The students in the band have volunteered their time, and, as Hagen notes, "it's been a grueling rehearsal schedule." Still, he adds, "The kids get to be in places that few people can go, so it's a great experience."

Officials from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee contacted Hagen soon after Salt Lake City was announced as the 2002 host city. "They had seen the University Marching Band play during the mascot launch and when the flag came from Nagano, and they just liked the U band," he says. Last January, Hagen was contacted to begin the preparations for assembling and preparing the Olympic Spirit Band.

For more information on the Olympic Spirit Band, contact Scott Hagen at 801-581-7323 or scott.hagen@music.utah.edu.