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Thomas Tyra
Thomas Tyra (born Thomas Norman Tyrakowski) (April 17, 1933 – July 7, 1995) was an American composer, arranger, bandmaster, and music educator. Early life and education Born and raised in Cicero, Illinois, Tyra was the only child of first-generation Polish-American parents who were employed by Western Electric's nearby Hawthorne Works. He graduated from Morton High School in Cicero (Diploma 1951), Northwestern University (BSM 1954, GBSM 1955, music education/composition) and the United States Navy School of Music (1956), where he would refine his composition and arranging skills while fulfilling his military service obligations. In 1971, Tyra earned his Ph.D. in music education from the University of Michigan under the auspices of Allen Britton, Emil Holz, and long-time director of bands, William Revelli. Bandmaster, music educator and mentor Following graduation from Northwestern in 1955, Tyra began his career as a high school band director in Des Moines, Iowa. The fol ...
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Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is a town in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,268, making it the 11th-most populous municipality in Illinois. The town is named after Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman statesman and orator. With a population more than 89% Hispanic, the town is the most Hispanic in the state of Illinois. History Originally, Cicero Township occupied an area six times the size of its current territory. The cities of Oak Park and Berwyn were incorporated from portions of Cicero Township, and other portions, such as Austin, were annexed into the city of Chicago. By 1911, an aerodrome called the Cicero Flying Field had been established as the town's first aircraft facility of any type, located on a roughly square plot of land about 800 meters (1/2-mile) per side, on then-open ground at by the Aero Club of Illinois, founded on February 10, 1910. Famous pilots like Hans-Joachim Buddecke, Lincoln Beachey, Chance M ...
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Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Warren County. It is named after the Des Moines River, likely derived from the French "Rivière des Moines" meaning "River of the Monks." The city was incorporated in 1851 as Fort Des Moines and shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. Its population was 214,133 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Des Moines metropolitan area, covering six counties, is the Metropolitan statistical area, 81st largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with about 750,000 residents, and is the largest metropolitan area entirely in Iowa. Des Moines is a major center of the United States insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group and Wellmark Blue Cross B ...
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Eastern Michigan University Marching Band
The Eastern Michigan University Marching Band (The Pride of the Peninsula) serves as Eastern Michigan University's marching band. History The band was first formed in 1894, however the marching band was only a student-funded extra-curricular activity that performed in parades, concerts, and athletic events, it wasn't until 1924 that the band was officially recognized as an ensemble within the Normal Conservatory of Music due to the efforts of Normal Mathematics Professor J.F. Barnhill. Professor Barnhill brought Captain Wilfred Wilson, conductor of the Michigan Band, to the Ypsilanti campus as the first Director of the marching band. The first recorded mention of the “Huron Band” was on October 31, 1925, when 48 uniformed bandmen paraded the streets of Ypsilanti and later played at the Normal-Kalamazoo College football game. In 1964, Thomas Tyra was appointed director of bands at the university and in 1968, Max Plank joined the EMU Bands program as Tyra's assistant. Togethe ...
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Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' college) established in the United States and the first outside New England. In 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the first normal school in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum; the college became a university in 1959. EMU is one of the eight research universities in the state of Michigan and is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It is governed by an eight-member board of regents whose members are appointed by the governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate for eight-year terms. The university comprises eight colleges and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College o ...
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Carolyn Leigh
Carolyn Leigh (August 21, 1926 – November 19, 1983) was an American lyricist for Broadway, film, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and " The Best Is Yet to Come". With Johnny Richards, she wrote the million-seller " Young at Heart" for the 1954 film ''Young at Heart'', starring Frank Sinatra. Biography Leigh was born to a Jewish familyTampa Jewish Federation: "Jews in the News: Mike Nichols, Yael Grobglas and Dominic Fumusa"
retrieved March 18, 2017 , "''The musical was penned by five Jewish theater legends, all now deceased. Lyrics by: BETTY COMDEN, ADOLPH GREENE, and CAROLYN LEIGH — with music by: MARK CHARLAP and JULE STYNE.''"< ...
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Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, to Ashkenazi, Eastern European Jewish parents, and was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Ida (née Prizent) was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason.Berkvist, Rober"Cy Coleman, Composer Whose Jazz-Fired Musicals Blazed on Broadway, Dies at 75" ''The New York Times'', November 20, 2004. He was a child prodigy who gave piano recitals at venues such as Steinway Hall (57th Street), Steinway Hall, the Town Hall (New York City), Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall between the ages of six and nine.Jones, Kennet"Cy Coleman, a Master of the Show Tune, Is Dead at 75", Playbill.com, November 19, 2004. Before beginning his fabled Broadway theater, Broadway career, he led the Cy Coleman Trio, which made many recordings and was a much-in-demand club attraction. Despite the early Classical mus ...
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Wildcat (musical)
''Wildcat'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman. The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 49-year-old Lucille Ball in her only Broadway show. The show introduced the song " Hey, Look Me Over", which was subsequently performed as a cover version by several musicians. An original cast album was issued by RCA Victor records (LOC-1060). Background and production Nash had envisioned the main character of Wildy as a woman in her late 20s, and was forced to rewrite the role when Lucille Ball expressed interest not only in playing it but financing the project as well. Desilu, the company owned by Ball and her soon-to-be ex-husband Desi Arnaz, ultimately invested $360,000 in the show in exchange for 36% of the net profits, the rights to the original cast recording (ultimately released by RCA Victor), and television rights for musical numbers to be included in a special titled ''Lucy Goes to Broadway'' ...
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Hey, Look Me Over (song)
"Hey, Look Me Over" is a song from the 1960 Broadway musical ''Wildcat''. In that show, it was introduced by Lucille Ball, in her only leading Broadway appearance. Cy Coleman later described the problem facing the songwriting team (Coleman and Carolyn Leigh): "How to write for a woman who had five good notes. And not just any woman, but the biggest star in the world at the time. What is she going to sing when she steps out on that stage for the first time? She had to land big or else we were all dead." During a brainstorming session, Coleman played one of his ideas on piano, doubtful it would work as a star vehicle. Leigh surprised him by calling back a few days later with a funny (incomplete) lyric for his melody. Ball and co-star Paula Stewart performed the song live on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', and it was subsequently recorded and/or performed by, among others, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Short, Gene Krupa, ...
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Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector from Philadelphia, gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers). ''Rocky'' entered development in March 1975, after Stallone wrote the screenplay in three days. It entered a complicated production process after Stallone refused to allow the film to be made without him in the lead role; United Artists eventually agreed to cast Stallone after he rejected a six figure deal for the film rights. Principal photography began in January 1976, with filming primarily held in Philadelphia; several locations featured in the film, such as the Rock ...
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Gonna Fly Now
"Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from ''Rocky''", is the theme song from the movie ''Rocky'', composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta West and Nelson Pigford. Released in 1976 with ''Rocky'', the song became part of 1970s American popular culture, after the film's main character and namesake Rocky Balboa, as part of his daily training regimen, runs up the 72 stone steps leading to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia and raises his arms in a victory pose, while the song plays. The song was written in Philadelphia. The song is often played at sporting events, especially in Philadelphia. Most notably, the Philadelphia Eagles play the song before the opening kickoff of every home game at Lincoln Financial Field. Reception Gonna Fly Now (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for Best Original Song at the 49th Academy Awards. The version of the song from the movie, performed by Conti ...
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Bill Conti
William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor. He is best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (1976), '' Rocky II'' (1979), '' Rocky III'' (1982), '' Rocky V'' (1990), '' Rocky Balboa'' (2006), '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986), '' The Karate Kid Part III'' (1989), '' The Next Karate Kid'' (1994), '' For Your Eyes Only'' (1981), ''Dynasty'' (and its sequel '' The Colbys''), and '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for " Gonna Fly Now" from ''Rocky'' and for the title song of ''For Your Eyes Only''. He was the musical director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times. Conti is known for his collaborations with director John G. Avildsen, having scored fourteen films for Avildsen, beginning with ''Rocky'' (1976) and ending with '' Inferno'' (1999). Their collaboration included such pictures as the ...
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Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band
The Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band (also called the Golden Band from Tigerland or simply the Tiger Band) is the official marching band of Louisiana State University (LSU). The full band has 325 members, and performs at all LSU football home games, all bowl games made by the team, and one away game per year. The 100-110-member pep band, which makes up a portion of the marching band, performs at all away games except for the one where the full band performs. History Cadet band The LSU Tiger Band began as a military band in 1893, organized by two students: Wylie M. Barrow and Ruffin G. Pleasant. Pleasant, who later became Louisiana Governor, governor of the state of Louisiana, served as director of the eleven-piece ROTC, cadet band. Pleasant also played as the quarterback of the football team and, alongside football coach Charles E. Coates, changed LSU's official school colors from blue and white to purple and gold. The band averaged thirteen members in its earl ...
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