William Pease Receives Tribute at Last Home Football Game

The Cavalier Marching Band performed a tribute to William Pease, the outgoing Director of Bands at the University of Virginia, at their last home football game of 2019 season, on Friday, November 29th.  The half-time formations commemorated his sixteen year tenure as the Director of Bands at the University of Virginia's McIntire Department of Music.

In 2003, William E. Pease was selected as the first marching band director of the newly formed Cavalier Marching Band. In a few short years he built the band from a handful of students to an organization with 350 members that performs at many athletic and academic events for the University. He collaborated with the donors and architects to design the state-of-the-art Hunter Smith Band Building, whose main rehearsal studio is named after Dr. Pease.  The band has gone on three international trips to Fiji, Australia, Brazil and Costa Rica, and in 2015 Pease and the Cavalier Marching Band represented UVA in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  During his tenure at the University, his responsibilities included directiing the Cavalier Marching Band, the UVA Wind Ensemble, and the UVA Men's Basketball band.

Dr. Pease is a former Associate Director of Bands at Western Michigan University, in Kalmazoo, Michigan. He taught public school in the Virginia Beach Public school system for 9 years. During this time his bands performed at state and national music conventions.  Pease is a national adjudicator for marching and concert bands and guest conductor for the Southeastern part of the United States. He is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the College Band Directors National Association, the ACC Band Directors Association, the Virginia Band and Orchestra Director's association, and an educational endorser for Vic-Firth drum stick company and Sabian cymbals.

Photos, courtesy of Armando Justo, include the fourth year drum majors as well as the CMB halftime formation honoring Dr. William Pease.

Related articles:

A Sound for All Seasons by Lee Graves (UVA Magazine)

Hunter Smith rains love on Marching Band by Chiara Canzi (C-ville)

UVA Marching Band receives $10 Million for Rehearsal Site by Daily Progress Staff (Daily Progress)

'A team mentality is crucial': Hard work and strong community drive the Cavalier Marching Band by Alec Dougherty (The Cavalier Daily)

Cavalier Marching Band to Represent Virginia in 2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (UVA Today)

Address

UVA Department of Music
112 Old Cabell Hall
P.O. Box 400176 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4176

Email: music@virginia.edu