Student Spotlight: Real Life Shark Week!

Hi, I’m Kasey, proud Tenor Mama in Cal Band, shark enthusiast, and the luckiest girl in the world. Studying abroad in South Africa was never really part of my college plan. After my first semester at Cal, and absolutely loving every minute of my time there (even the late nights of studying), I didn’t want […]

Student Spotlight: Kat’s Cakes!

At the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I passed out one morning before going to class. That marked the beginning of a long and challenging chronic illness that kept me at home for nearly three years. I spent the rest of high school in and out of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital […]

2017 Spring Show Recap

This year, the two-hour musical-dance-comedy-history extravaganza commonly called “the Cal Band Spring Show” was on Saturday, April 29 in the Band Rehearsal Hall. As the Masters of Ceremonies, Jason Holiday and Jameson Davis delivered wonderful (and wonderfully self-deprecating) performances. Unfortunately, Jason was a bit under-the-weather, so he hydrated immoderately throughout the evening. Meanwhile, Jameson spent […]

Traveling with our Teams: NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament!

We recently had the privilege of accompanying our Women’s Basketball team to Waco, Texas to cheer them on in the NCAA Tournament! After arriving on March 16th and later cinching a win against LSU, we had plenty of time to explore the Lone Star State till the game against Baylor on 20th. On Friday the […]

Pete Alvarez: 40 Years of Directing

Pete Alvarez was recently honored by the Cal Band in 2016 for serving the Band as field director for 40 years. Tara Castro (clarinet ‘05) and Colin Downs-Razouk (alto ‘05) sat down with Pete to talk to him about this amazing feat and his history with the Band.   Tara Castro: What work did you […]

Super Bowl 50: The Cal Band Experience

Well, the secret is most definitely out. After a couple of agonizing months of secrecy, three full days of missing classes, and one unforgettable performance, the members of Cal Band can finally comment on their experiences as a part of the halftime show for Super Bowl 50. Here’s the overview: Day 1: Monday, January 25th […]

Monday, Jan 25th: Bringing the Super Bowl to Maxwell Field

Nearly two weeks ago, Cal Band ventured to Maxwell Field to rehearse a distinctive postseason performance, an encore that would cap off a semester of fantastic football and field shows. On a chilly Monday evening, we began learning our continuities to the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show. Waiting in ‘alpha order’ to be identified and […]

Grambling State Visits Berkeley

Cal Football proved that they are still on the rise by kicking off the 2015 season with a stunning score of 73-14 against Grambling State University. The game on September 5 was special, not just because it raised the hopes and expectations of Cal fans for the coming season, but also because of a unique […]

“Fall of Troy” with UCLA

It was on October 22nd, 2015, the Cal vs. UCLA game, when I experienced one of the most stressful days in my time as a Cal Band member. The day started average enough; it was a typical hot Southern California day, one that a SoCal native such as myself would recognize. It was a heat […]

Thank you, Cal Women’s Basketball!

Thank you for your incredible effort and a great season, @calwbball! It was a pleasure to represent the University of California and perform for our home crowd in the NCAA Tournament. Go Bears!