NEWS Minutemen Marching Band Multiband
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Multiband Pops Returns for Homecoming Weekend

The 47th Annual Multiband Pops will take place on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Frederick C. Tillis Concert Hall, located in the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts. Presented by the University of Massachusetts Amherst department of music and dance, the event is traditionally a major highlight of the campus event calendar, but was presented in virtual format last year due to the pandemic. This fall, the live and in-person event will coincide with Homecoming Weekend for the first time since 2017. Multiband Pops is produced/coordinated by Jeffrey W. Holmes, director of the department’s Jazz and African American Music Studies program. "We are excited to be back live to once again showcase so many of our ensembles and talented students in this fast-paced performance," said Holmes.

Each year, Multiband Pops serves as a showcase of the department’s top wind, orchestral, brass, percussion, jazz and dance ensembles, plus the Minuteman Marching Band. The flow of the concert is choreographed so that there are no breaks (except intermission), with performances taking place in an array of locations around the Concert Hall. The result is a fast-paced tour-de-force that is sure to appeal to a variety of audiences.

The ensembles featured in this year’s event include UMass Amherst Symphony Orchestra Strings, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble I, Percussion Ensemble, Symphony Band, Chapel Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Jazz Ensemble, Reed Quintet, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble, Trombone Choir, plus the Jazz Dance Ensemble. In keeping with tradition, the full UMass Minuteman Marching Band, the “Pride and Class” of New England, will perform portions of their 2021 field show during the second half of the concert.

Multiband Pops will take place in the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, located in the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts, 151 Presidents Drive. Tickets are $25 general public and $18 for students and seniors, and can be purchased from the Fine Arts Center Box Office at 413-545-2511 or at fineartscenter.com/musicanddance.