The Souderton Big Red Marching Band has a proud tradition that spans generations of students, families, and community support. From its earliest roots to the award-winning ensemble it is today, the band has been a source of school spirit, musical excellence, and lasting friendships. This page celebrates our history, honoring the directors, members, and milestones that have shaped the Big Red into the heart of Souderton pride.
Help Us Preserve Our History
Do you have historical information, photographs, stories, documents, or memories about the Souderton Big Red Band? We’d love to hear from you! We welcome photographs, band programs, newspaper clippings, stories, memories, and corrections that can help us expand and preserve the history of the Souderton Big Red Band. If you have a question, correction, additional information, or something you believe should be included in our history, please contact our historian: HISTORIAN: historian@soudertonbigred.org
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LEADERSHIP TIMELINE
(Celebrating leadership of the band at Souderton Area High School and predecessor schools)
1928–1942 — Maurice W. Foulke
• Founded and shaped the early Big Red Band program. His tenure included building the ensemble into a community and school centerpiece.
1942–1945 — Maurice W. Foulke (U.S. Army service in WWII)
• Served as a U.S. Army T4 in Italy during WWII; the band continued with interim leadership.
1944 (interim) — Miss Ruth Kratz
• Served as interim director during Foulke’s military service.
1944–1945 (interim) — Mrs. Evelyn Kreibel
• Served as interim director alongside Miss Kratz.
1945–1966 — Maurice W. Foulke
• Returned post-war and continued prolific service in music education (nearly 57 years in the district).
1966–1971 — Mr. Gregory E. Woodruff
1971–1989 — Mr. Elmer W. “Red” Winzer
1989–1993 — Mr. Bret L. Mascaro
1993–1997 — Mr. John William Helmer, III
1997–2002 — Mr. Daniel E. Zettlemoyer
2002–2006 — Mr. Joseph T. Reichert
2006–2007 — Mr. Adam Tucker *interim
2007–2016 — Mr. Stephen L. Straka
2016–2017 — Mr. Adam Tucker
2018 — Mr. Richard Freda
2019 (interim) — Mr. Stephen L. Straka
2020–2023 — Mr. Richard Freda
2023–2026 — Mrs. Alicia Simpson
2026 — Mr. Mark Morris
1 The Legacy of Maurice W. Foulke
2 Maurice Foulke obituary
3 EW “Red” Winzer obituary
This timeline has been constructed from previous research done by the Big Red Band Boosters (1998), combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles. Any inaccuracies are our own.
"BIG RED's" - FIELD SHOW PRODUCTIONS
1928-1972 Limited details are available about the music performed for the field shows during these years. The legendary Maurice Foulke was the band director until 1966 and he arranged all music and planned the routines during this period, including directing the color guard and majorettes.
1968 Souderton Marching Band and Football Team (no audio)
1965 A high point in the season was the “Indian” half time show with the majorettes going through their paces on top of individual drums.
1964 Gala half time shows were a distinctive trademark of the “Big Red” Marching Band this season. The first extravaganza was based on the United Fund Torch Drive. A huge copper penny rolled onto the field to the tune of “Pennies from Heaven” while majorettes raised their batons to the sky. The political campaign show was highlighted by a dancing elephant, donkey, and Johnson and Goldwater girls. As the band formed the word “VOTE”, hundreds of multi-colored balloons were released to float above the stadium. The lavish display of the Armed Forces was complete with uniformed members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Thanksgiving Day was climaxed by a stupendous half time presentation. The band formed a football player who kicked a football into oblivion to the strains of “Mr. Touchdown, USA”.
1963 A highlight of the ’63 season was the half-time show developed for the annual Thanksgiving Day game. Dedicated to the memory of the late President John F. Kennedy, the band played to a capacity crowd of over eight thousand spectators in an unforgettable memorial to the president.
1962 Three completely different half-time shows were developed: the first, a review of dances from the Square Dance to the Twist; the second, presentations from famous American Dance Band leaders; the third, a salute to the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces half-time show received considerable comment as being one of the best half-time shows presented in this area. The chorus, as well as a team of Senior and Junior boys in the uniforms of the various services added to the excitement and color of the show. A special half-time routine for the National Little League Football Championship game played in Souderton ended the season.
1956 The band always added flavor to a football game. Their pre-game highlight was the two-line formation leading from the goal posts, through which the football players made their entrance onto the field; and the half-time routine featuring “Rock Around the Clock” proved to be very popular among the spectators.
1953 Despite the fact that scarcely a dozen practices had been held before their first appearance at a football game, the Band presented a series of skillfully executed performances which were extremely popular with the spectators. The routines which proved to be the most popular of all were those featuring the “Dragnet” theme and “Tiger Rag”.
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026.
1989 This year’s show begins the performance with “Change of Pace” an original composition by Nick Baratta. This is followed by “Wave” arranged by Jay Dawson, which leads directly into a Ralph Hardimon percussion solo, titled “Caribe”. The band closes with “Do You Wanna Dance?” by Bobby Freeman.
1988 This year’s show opens with an original composition by Jay Dawson entitled “Border Crossing”. The second production is an old jazz standard originally composed by “Dizzy” Gillespie, entitled “A Night in Tunisia,” featuring solos by Andy Crossgrove on trumpet and Brad Grow on alto saxophone. This is followed by a percussion feature consisting of “Hey Mambo”, recorded by Barry Manilow and “Congo” recorded by the Miami Sound Machine. The band augments its wind section by adding members of the percussion section and color guard in the performance of the closing selection “I Dreamed a Dream” from the 1987 Broadway musical “Les Miserables” (Lay Mizraab).
1987 This year’s show opens with the spanish stylings of Jay Bocook in a piece entitled “Corona”, featuring Butch Heiss on trumpet. The second production is an interesting “Funk” chart entitled “Pour on the Power”, featuring a trombone solo by Ken Moyer. “Drum Machine” leads into the percussion feature entitled “Shashana” and the show closes with the popular “Somewhere Out There” from the 1986 movie An American Tail as recorded by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, featuring Jenn Moser on flugelhorn.
1986 This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a balanced production of sound and motion beginning with drill designs set to “Music of Space” which combines themes from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, and “Mars” and “Jupiter” from the The Planets by Gustav Holst. The second production is an Al Jarreau piece entitled “Imagination.” An exciting change of pace entitled “Scream “ by Jay Dawson, features units of the band font. The closing production is an unusual arrangement of “Breaking Up is Hard To Do” by Neil Sedaka.
1985
This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a balanced production of sound and motion beginning with drill designs set to the music of the theme from The Sea Hawk arranged by Jay Bocook, followed by an Al Jarreau piece entitled “Roof Garden.” The concert selection is adapted from H. Owen Reed’s “La Fiesta Mexicana” featuring a portion of the “Mass” and the “Aztec Dance.” The closing is a beautiful arrangement of a Don Sebesky original entitled “Olvidar”. Competition video from Orlando, April 1986
1984 This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a varied program blending the elements of music, marching, choreography, and color in motion. The show opens with the “Mambo” from Leonard Bernstein’s’ West Side Story. It includes a colorful rendition of “Here’s That Rainy Day” and “Over the Rainbow,” a production of Chuck Mangione’s “Love the Feelin’,” and a concert selection entitled “Rainmaker.”
1983 This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a balanced production of sound and motion beginning with marching patterns set to the music of “Moorside March” by Gustav Holst, followed by the Ronnie Milsap hit “It was almost like a song.” The concert is a Jay Bocook original entitled “Suncat.” The production following concert is the popular “In the Stone” by Earth Wind and Fire. The closing is an interesting concept featuring music from the1982 film E.T.
1982 This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a balanced production of sound and motion beginning with an adaptation of the concert band composition “Odyssey”. THe second production is a dramatic presentation of the song, “Dream Weaver.” Changing to the Jazz idiom, the band performs Joe Zawinul’s Birdland”. The closing production is a medley of tunes depicting the more humorous aspects of the “marching band” as well as a stirring patriotic theme including “America the Beautiful” and “Stars and Stripes Forever”.
1981 This year’s edition of the “Big Red” features a balanced production of sound an motion beginning with an adaptation of Alfred Reed’s stirring Symphonic Band composition “A Festival Prelude”. The seond production is the title song of the 1981 movie “Endless Love” by Lionel Ritchie. Changing to the Jazz idiom, the band performs Chuck Mangione’s “The Hill Where the Lord Hides” as a concert selection. The next production is set to the music of Chick Corea’s “Spain” and the show closes with Maynard Ferguson’s “Blue Birdland”.
1980 …..
1979 …..includes “The Hill Where the Lord Hides”
1978 …..
1977 This year’s award winning program included the following selections: “Festival Prelude”, “Sir Duke”, “Celebration Suite”, “Spain”, followed by “If” and a reprisal of “Festival Prelude”.
1976 This year’s production is a combination of sound and motion using marching patterns set to the music of “Coronation Scene”, “Pack Rat”, “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair”, “Bully”, and “Feelings”. Fifth year in class “A” competition.
1975 This year marked “Big Red’s” fourth year in class “A” competition. While wearing their new cadet-style uniforms, the band marched to the music of “Fanfare Prelude”, “La Fiesta”, “Momo Tombo-Latin Boogaloo”, and the “Finale” to the Firebird Suite.
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026
1999 Prelude to Discovery. Features music from the hit movies Independence Day, Empire of the Sun, Far and Away, and Star Wars. Our show opens with sound from “Independence Day”, followed by the emotional following melodies of “Cadillac of the Skies” and “Land Race”. We close the program with the triumphant sounds of “The Throne Room” from Star Wars.
1998 Ultimate Destiny. Featuring selections from “The Divine Comedy” by Robert W. Smith Our show opens with the bombastic sounds from “Inferno” and “Purgatorio” featuring our percussion section. Then we calm things down with the majestic flowing melodies of “Paradiso” which features a brass quartet.
1997 A Copeland Tribute We open our show with the introduction of the “Happy Ending” from the Red Pony Suite which leads us into our next selection “Outdoor Overture”. Our next piece is “A Promise of Living” in which various sections of the band will be featured through visual elements and moving musical lines. This piece also features Joel Frederick and Kyle Crouthamel on trumpet. Our show comes to a conclusion with “Morning on the Ranch’ from the Red Pony Suite.
1996 The Big Red Russian Rampage Tour Our first selection is “Russian Easter” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Mellophone soloist is Jessica Hoffman. The second song is the beautiful “Polovestian Dances” by Alexander Borodin. Soloists include Nate Carbaugh on flugelhorn, Eric Alexander on trumpet, and Karen Renzi on mellophone. Our finale is the ever popular “Russian Sailor’s Dance” from the Red Poppy by Reinhold Gliere. Our low winds are featured as is our percussion section with their feature based on the “Drunken Sailor Song.”
1995 The Spanish Exposition This year the “Big Red” Marching Band will take you on a trip to Spain with our show. Our opening number is entitled “Flight of the Condor” and features soloists Karen Renzi on mellophone, Cam Linthicum on trumpet, and Chris Hayes on trumpet. The second song is the beautiful Spanish ballad “Via Dolorosa”. This number features the double duets of Chuck and Ben Weber on trombone, Step Close on mellophone, and Tom Morris on baritone. Our third selection is “Spanish Choral” which is our woodwind feature. Finally our trip leads us to our final selection “Malaga”. Our percussion section is featured before the entire show closes with the fire and passion that is so distinctive to Spanish music.
1994 “Les Miserables” Aux Grand Rouge Bonjour! It is our pleasure to perform for you a very special presentation of Les Miserables. The “Grand Rouge” tour involves the music from the Broadway hit Les Miserables. The selections for this year’s artistry in music and motion employ the use of the arranging talents of Jay Bocook and tailored arrangements for winds by Larry Kerchner. Our libretto comes from the inspired pen of Victo Hugo. Our presentation will treat you to a variety of moods and styles, and send you home with haunting melodies and inspirations from the travels of Jean Valjean. The selections you will be hearing are: “Work Song” by Bocook, “At the End of the Day” by Kerchner, “I Dreamed a Dream” by Bocook, “Attack on Rue Plumet” by Bocook, and “Bring Them Home/One Day More/On My Own” by Kerchner.
1993 Magic Carpet Ride to Hershey. The magic carpet ride employs the arranging styles of Jay Bocook in selections from the 1992 movie Aladdin. The selections include “Arabian Nights”, “One Jump Ahead”, “A Friend Like Me”, and “A Whole New World”. Our show contains a varied assortment of music, choreography and serpentine design. In our closer, “A Whole New World,” watch as we soar above the clouds to see the world from afar as we visit several lands along the way.
1992 Georgia on My Mind The show begins with the Hoagy Charmichael classic of the same name. Next, listen for the saxophone and percussion features as the band presents a USO-type production number with music from the Bette Midler 1991 film entitled For The Boys arranged by Paul Lavender. Following that, the band explores other styles and meters with “Chill Out” arranged by Dale Leaman. And finally, “Dreams to Dream” is the musical selection as this year’s show draws to a close.
1991 Music from the early years of Jazz. The show begins on the southern railway with the sounds of “Alabama Jubilee,” arranged by Jay Dawson. Next, in the New Orleans Dixieland style, the band presents “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”, by Paul Jennings. This year’s production number is the classic “St. Louis Blues”, although the percussion feature and coda offer an unusual twist to this familiar melody. As the show draws to a close, the band performs the reverent sound of “Amazing Grace” followed by a reprise of the strains from last year’s finale, “South Rampart Street Parade” by Nick Baratta.
1990 Jazz-oriented show The show begins with “Cherokee,” a standard in jazz repertoire written by Ray Noble. This is our production of “Caribbean” sounds, combining Dennis DiBlasio’s “Coconut Champagne” with a drum solo based on Gloria Estefan’s “Conga!”. The band closes with a Dixieland classic titled “South Rampart Street Parade.”
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026
2009 Harry Potter: Trials of the Chosen One Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is quoted as saying music is a magic far beyond all we do. Join us on a musical journey through Harry’s fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts with selections from the 2005 film Goblet of Fire and the 2007 film Order of the Phoenix. We begin with “The Golden Egg” which exemplifies the suspense and triumph of Harry’s first trial in the Triwizard Tournament. We continue with “Professor Umbridge” in which we are introduced to the most tyrannical and diabolical teacher ever to walk the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Spoiler alert) Our third selection ”Hogwarts’ Hymn” expresses sorrow at the loss of classmate Cedric Diggory at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort. We conclude with the exciting “Flight of the Order of the Phoenix” in which Harry bands together with the remaining members of an elite group of wizards tasked to bring down the Dark Lord himself. Here’s a video which is described as a supersonic version of the 2009 show.
2008 La Nouba: Cirque Du Soleil The music is based upon the popular circus themed show located in Walt Disney World. The title of La Nouba originates from the French phrase “faire la nouba” which simply means to party and live it up. Throughout the performance you will experience the ultimate celebration: at once threatening and exhilarating, frightening and familiar. “A La Lune”, our opening selection, represents a balancing act, defying gravity and the laws of physics. We then continue with “Distorted” which characterizes a cycling act, complete with mesmerizing maneuvers such as G-turns, boomerangs, and megaspins. The mood then shifts to the lyrical “Reve Rouge”, which is the representation of an aerial ballet with silk. We conclude our musical journey with “Urban”, which embodies all of the excitement of a trampoline artist literally bouncing off the walls.
2007 America’s Music: Aaron Copeland
2006 The Golden Ticket: Selections from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Inspired by the movie released on July 15, 2005, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. Features the following musical selections: Main Titles, Augustus Gloop, First Candy, Mike Teavee. Music by Danny Elfman, Arranged by Don Kline. Here also is the 2006 band banquet slide show from this season.
2005 Panophobic Paradox: Fear Everything! This year, the members of the band ask you…what are you afraid of? If you suffer from Dementophobia, the fear of insanity, you will relate to our opener, Bernard Herrmann’s “Prelude from Psycho.” Our second selection is another Bernard Herrmann classic, “The Inquirer” from the film Citizen Kane. As you listen, perhaps you will be reminded of themes from the circus. If so, you may suffer from Coulrophobia, or the irrational fear of clowns. As we change pace, you may recognize our pitch black rendition of “Stay Awake” featured in the movie Mary Poppins. This version is based on Harry Connick Jr.’s arrangement from the album “Songs I Heard” with a mellophone solo by Shelly Mohr. This selection expresses Somniphobia, or the fear of sleep. Our final piece is Sergei Prokofviev’s “Scythian Suite: 2nd movement.” Closing out our theme, this song represents Achluophobia, the fear of darkness.
2004 Aerodynamics This year’s music, composed by David Gillingham, is a tribute to the Wright Brothers and the Birth of Flight. The music infuses several musical ideas to tell the story of flight, from the first concepts of flight, to the construction of the airplane, to finally flight itself. The show also includes Ragtime music by Scott Joplin.
2003 Da Vincian Visions. Music comprised of one piece of music using a Fanfare, Theme, and Variations by Larry Clark
2002 The Symphonic Music of David Holsinger Features 3 songs: “Havendance”, “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss”, and “Prairie Dances”.
2001 All Roads Lead to Rome Included the song “Barbarian Horde” from the soundtrack of the movie Gladiator.
2000 Rhythms of Africa The show consisted of three musical pieces. A fast-paced opener, “African Safari” preceded a softer ballad, “Solitary Plains” which was complemented by swing flags from the color guard, and a trumpet solo by Brian Stover. The last was an upbeat closer featuring a percussion entourage, “African Adventures”. New uniforms arrived this year also.
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026
2019 Persephone Composed by Matt Hightower and Josh Powell, Persephone utilizes fresh and innovative arrangements of the classical repertoire to retell the story of the beautiful daughter of the Goddess Demeter, whose abduction by the God of the Underworld results in the cold and death of Winter, and whose return results in the rebirth of Spring. It includes Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” and parts of “Pictures at an Exhibition” as well as Holst’s “Jupiter” (from the Planets).
2018 A Hero Is Composed by Jeremy Thompson and Derek Boughey, the show examines what makes a hero, the characteristics he or she has, and how we all can be heroes in our everyday lives.
2017 Winds in the East A steampunk twist featuring the music from the iconic film Mary Poppins. We open with soloist Kieran Ellis performing “Winds in the East” on flugelhorn. Opening our mash-up of “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is piccolo soloist Courtney Zettlemoyer, joined by our chimney quartet. The show continues with the beautiful ballad “Feed the Birds”, followed by a medley of “I Love to Laugh”, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”, and “Chim Chim Cheree.” We close with the lively “Step in Time”, complete with rooftop dancing and chimney-hopping.
2016 El Dia de la Vida This lively and colorful celebration of life is inspired by the music and culture of the festive tradition of Mexico. We open with No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom”, an up tempo Latin rock tune which features our bass player as well as mixed-meter movement. The eerie melodies of Danny Elfman’s Beetlejuice pulls us into the world of the macabre. Ozomatli’s “Donde Se Fueron” spotlights the percussion who launch us into our fiesta, which concludes with “Chango”, a frenzied closing number featuring drastically contrasting tempos.
2015 Star Cross’d Music of the Planets by Gustav Holst, with themes representing every planet. Two households, both alike in dignity, across the cosmos, where we lay our scene. Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean, a pair of star-cross’d lovers come to light. We tell their story through the timeless suite “The Planets” by Gustav Holst. Through our uninterrupted performance you will hear themes representing every planet, from the flowing vocal melody of Neptune to the combative percussion of Mercury. As the show progresses, observe the forbidden adulation between the two performers representing the majestic beauty of Jupiter and the devoted soldier of Mars. The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
2014 The Monsters University Collegiate Extravaganza The Big Red Marching Band pays tribute to the traditional college football halftime shows through the exciting music featured in Disney/Pixar’s film Monsters University. We begin with the “MU Fight Song”, which features the band storming the field with our thunderous drum cadence and up tempo marching as we form the letters of our beloved Monsters University. Our second tune is “Gospel”, popularized by the jazz-funk group the March Fourth Marching Band. We further embrace the college band repertoire in this jazz tune by featuring a step show by the color guard, a brass combo, and even improvised solos by Chelsea Sharp on alto sax, Zach Washel on trombone and Zak Barbezat on trumpet. The “MU Alma Mater” slows the pace by emphasizes the wonderful imagery and complex footwork only a marching band is capable of. We conclude our tribute with the challenging and wonderfully textured “Rise and Shine”, which prominently features our drumline in two separate solo features.
2013 Hoist the Colors Music from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. We begin with the haunting title composition “Hoist the Colors” which features a sousaphone solo from Senior Andrew Kosinski and the foreboding pirate hymn sung by the entire band. We then travel to Singapore where a powerful bass line and aggressive brass accents contrasts the eastern flavored melodies stated by the woodwinds. The drumline feature introduces us to the playful “Up is Down” featuring a bouncy 6/8 feel that is reminiscent of an Irish dance. The tone darkens as we move into “What Shall We Die For” which mixes elements of the previous selections into an ominous yet dynamic piece. We conclude with the energetic, boisterous, and instantly familiar “He’s A Pirate”.
More 2013 videos:
2012 Viva La Musica! Join us as we journey through the evolution of Latin music from its roots in Spain to its cultural fusion with the popular music of the United States. We begin with the Brainn Scott composition “Los Dos Bandidos” which personifies the paso doble style most recognized as the toreador’s entrance in a bullfight. We then change to a playful tone with Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece “America” from the musical West Side Story. This familiar melody is energetic and lively but also deceptively complex as is demonstrated by the band’s advanced marching techniques and visuals. We conclude with “It Had Better Be Tonight” which was written by Henry Mancini for the 1963 comedy classic The Pink Panther. Our interpretation is based on the recently revived Latin flavored arrangement made famous by vocalist Michael Bublé. Here’s a snip of some flag work from that show.
Side note from this historian: The spring SAHS 2012 musical from earlier that year was “West Side Story” which played to sold out audiences. See a student highlight reel here. And more from the SAHS musical: Tonight, Prologue Sharks and Jets, Cool
2011 When Tomorrow Comes… Featuring the music from Les Miserables.
2010 Forces of Nature: Classico Elemento Compositions from the masters of classical music as they are meant to embody nature’s four core elements: water, earth, air, and fire. We begin with George Frederic Handel’s “Water Music” with its flowing themes and complex countermelodies. We continue with Modest Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” followed by JS Bach’s “Air on G” concluding with Igor Stravinsky’s “Infernal Dance of King Kashchei” from The Firebird. Parent preview is here (bonus track it includes the Souderton Alma Mater, The Star Spangled Banner, and the school fight song.): 2010 Parent Preview
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026
2026 Forged in Battle. TBD!
2025 Tuned In Buckle up, and join the Big Red Marching Band as we hit the road with our 2025 show Tuned In. Our high-energy field show will put you into the passenger seat of a cross-country adventure. Get lost in the sights and sounds of the American landscape as we pass through iconic cities and regions. We begin our trip with the driving pulse of “Life is a Highway”. Our first stop brings us to the Big Apple with the timeless flair of “New York, New York”. We travel south toward the bayou to enjoy the spicy rhythms of an original piece “Cajun Spice”. Things slow down through the sprawling plains of the West with “Dust in the Wind” from the band Kansas. Finally, our trip is complete once we reach the bright sounds of Hollywood with the film La La Land’s “Another Day of Sun”. Relax and enjoy the ride as we celebrate the diverse sights and sounds of America. New uniforms arrived this year also.
2024 Jekyll and Hyde The 2024 show delves into the theme of duality, inspired by the contrast between light and dark, good and evil. The performance is anchored by a dynamic musical selection that conveys this inner conflict. Starting with Verdi’s powerful Requiem “Dies Irae” by Giuseppi Verdi, the show moves through tension and suspense with John Carpenter’s “Unkillable” from the 2021 film Halloween Kills, and deepens with Howard Shore’s haunting “Hope Fails” from the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The finale intensifies with the 5th movement of Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique”, as good and evil goes head to head in a dramatic finish.
2023 Taking Flight Join us on a musical journey through some iconic film scores that not only embody the feeling of soaring through the clouds but also represent the ideals of reinvention, camaraderie, and the pure joy of music itself. We begin with “Enterprising Young Men” composed by Michael Giacchino for the 2009 reboot film of the classic Star Trek franchise. We continue with “Forbidden Friendship” composed by John Powell for the animated 2010 hit film How to Train Your Dragon. We conclude our show with “The Golden Egg” composed by Patrick Doyle for the fourth entry in the hugely popular Harry Potter 2005 film franchise Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
2022 To The Moon. The band depicts being a teenager experiencing the moon landing on July 20, 1969. Musical selections: “Talking to the Moon” by Bruno Mars, “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy, “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven, “Fly me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra, Also “Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss, “America the Beautiful”.
2021 Carry On Our 2021 production tells the story of a young girl who attends a marching band parade with her father. Later, the father passes away and she is left in deep sadness. Finally, after the birth of her son, she is able to relive the memories of her father, while passing down the tradition of seeing marching bands to her child. Selections include “Carry On”, “See you Again”, “Danse Macabre”, and “Black Parade.”
2020 Senior Selections Due to the unusual circumstances throughout this year related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the staff allowed the seniors to vote on the pieces to be played in the field show this season which are: “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” from Simon & Garfunkel, and “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.
The show descriptions are reproduced from the original show programs published for that year, combined with information obtained from staff, Unaliyi yearbooks, and newspaper articles as needed. We are grateful to the many writers that contributed to these publications! Any inaccuracies are our own. There were field shows presented every year in the band’s long history, and we will strive to fill in the gaps as new information becomes available.
Submitted by Karen A. Evans, Souderton Big Red Marching Band Historian, July 4th 2026
PARADES & MORE!
Souderton, PA – 1976 Bicentennial
SoudertonDiamondJubileeParades1962
Disney Holiday 2013
