Dan Farris, director of athletic bands, will retire this spring
/sites/default/files/2026-03/20260318_farris.jpgDan Farris has been a constant presence on the sidelines at home football games, leading the Northwestern University Marching Band and setting the tempo for game day long before the first snap.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2026/03/dan-farris-director-of-athletic-b…
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Daniel J. Farris, conductor
Director of Athletic Bands Daniel J. Farris conducts his final concert after 26 years at Northwestern, where he led the “Wildcat” Marching Band and Concert Band. Prior to his time at Northwestern, Farris served as Assistant Director of Bands at Illinois State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was also director of Orlando’s Walt Disney World Collegiate All-Star Band and taught in Minnesota and Wisconsin public schools. Bands under his direction have performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Bands of America Regional and National Championships, Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, and numerous bowl games. In this farewell concert, talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a range of exciting repertoire for band, featuring works by Percy Grainger, Dwayne Milburn, and Eric Whitacre.
Is Featured 1267117 No On Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with valid ID. Off https://ci.ovationtix.com/36542/performance/11772523?performanceId=11772523 No No Off 1267117 Friday, May 15, 2026 at 7:30pm CDT Pick-Staiger Concert Hall On https://www.music.northwestern.edu/live/pickBienen Ensembles Bands /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2025-11/mar1_concert_band_WEB.jpg?itok=qrFFLHfC
Daniel J. Farris, conductor; Imran Amarshi and Maggie Whiteman, doctoral assistant conductors
Talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a concert of exciting repertoire for wind band.
Michele Fernández, La Fiera Asturiana
Gustav Holst, Second Suite in F Major, Op. 28, No. 2
Frank Ticheli, Rest
Clifton Williams, Symphonic Dance No. 3 (“Fiesta”)
Eric Whitacre, The Seal Lullaby
Frank Ticheli, Vesuvius
Bienen Ensembles Bands /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2025-08/Nov9_ConcertBand_web.jpg?itok=3YaD0ZvS
Daniel J. Farris, conductor; Michael Witt, graduate assistant conductor
Talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a concert of band standards.
Malcolm Arnold (trans. John P. Paynter), Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo
Chris Pilsner, Dum Spiro Spero
John Barnes Chance, Variations on a Korean Folk Song
Michael Colgrass, Old Churches
Johnnie Vinson, Echoes of the Hollow Square
Shelley Hanson, Albanian Dance
Bienen Ensembles Bands Stage and Screen /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2025-02/May18_Concert_Band_WEB.jpg?itok=J23zj0Q9
Daniel J. Farris, conductor; Rachel Stiles and Michael Witt, graduate assistant conductors
Featuring works celebrated on Broadway and in the cinema, the program includes selections by Michael Giacchino, Leonard Bernstein, and more.
John Williams (arr. James Curnow), Midway March
Bruce Broughton (arr. Randol Bass), Silverado
Michael Giacchino (arr. Jay Bocook), Symphonic Suite from Star Trek
John Williams (arr. Jay Bocook), Symphonic Dances from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Jerry Bock (arr. Ira Hearshen), Symphonic Dances from Fiddler on the Roof
Leonard Bernstein (arr. Ian Polster, Michael Sweeney, and Williams James Duthoit), West Side Story Medley
Bienen Ensembles Bands The Time Is Now /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2024-11/Mar_2_Concert_Band_WEB.jpg?itok=HjeNarnv
Daniel J. Farris, conductor; Michael Witt, graduate assistant conductor
Northwestern University’s Concert Band celebrates the compositional voices of women in wind band. This exciting concert explores a variety of contemporary and historical female-identifying composers and their unique styles.
Reena Esmail, Tuttarana
Julie Giroux, Our Cast Aways
Gala Flagello, Love & Nature
Yukiko Nishimura, Smiling After the Rain
Michele Fernández, Unidad en Rítmo
Conni Ellisor, Atmospheric from Keepers of the House
Amanda C. E. Aldridge, On Parade
Off https://ci.ovationtix.com/36542/performance/11550115?performanceId=11550115 Yes No Off 1219033 Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 3:00pm CST Pick-Staiger Concert Hall On https://www.music.northwestern.edu/live/pick
Bienen Ensembles Bands /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2024-08/nov17_concert_band_web.jpg?itok=HXEG2mYr
Daniel J. Farris, conductor
Talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a concert of band standards, including works by Frank Ticheli, Hugh Stuart, James Curnow, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
James Curnow, Rejouissance
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Folk Song Suite
Frank Ticheli, Cajun Folk Songs, Part One
John Mackey, Sheltering Sky
Hugh Stuart, Three Ayres from Gloucester
Pierre LaPlante, In the Forest of the King
Jan Van der Roost, Con moto e follemento from Rikudim
Bienen Ensembles Bands /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2024-02/May19_Concert_Band_web.jpg?itok=rC9cRDZ4
Daniel J. Farris, conductor
Talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a concert of band standards.
David Biedenbender, Melodious Thunk
Gordon Jacob (ed. Christopher Heidenreich), An Original Suite
Julie Giroux, Riften Wed
Frank Ticheli, Over the Moon
Franz Biebl (trans. Robert Cameron), Ave Maria
John Barnes Chance, Incantation and Dance
Bienen Ensembles Bands /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2023-11/feb25_concert_band.jpg?itok=_7D88WF9
Daniel J. Farris, conductor
Talented students from across the Northwestern campus present a concert of band standards.
Morton Gould (trans. Philip J. Lang), American Salute
Ronald LoPresti, Elegy for a Young American
William Grant Still, From the Delta
Kelijah Dunton, Stillwater
Clare Grundman, Concord
David Maslanka, Give Us This Day
Daniel J. Farris is Director of Athletic Bands at Northwestern University, where he is responsible for conducting the "Wildcat" Marching Band and Concert Band.
Learn MoreNorthwestern University Music in November
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20161026_november_concerts.jpgA performance by classical guitarist Marcin Dylla and a vocal master class led by mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard will open two year-long concert series as part of a busy November events calendar from the Bienen School of Music.