From left, UNK music students Dan Shipley, Ike Smith and Daniel McCarty were selected for the 2025 National Intercollegiate Band. (Photo by Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications)
KEARNEY – Three music students from the University of Nebraska at Kearney have been selected as members of the 2025 National Intercollegiate Band.
Ike Smith of Kearney and Dan Shipley of Fremont will represent UNK at the event, scheduled for July 13-15 in Lexington, Kentucky. Daniel McCarty of Kearney also received the honor; however, he was already committed to another music festival on those dates.
Selected through competitive audition, members of the National Intercollegiate Band will perform a July 15 concert led by internationally recognized conductor Jason Fettig, director of bands at the University of Michigan and former director of the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra. Fettig led the musical program for the inaugurations of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, as well as the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush.
The concert also includes the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by internationally acclaimed composer Kevin Day.
A time-honored tradition started nearly 80 years ago, the National Intercollegiate Band is a program of the Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma national honorary organizations for college and university band members. The July event coincides with the Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma National Convention.
“Winning membership in the National Intercollegiate Band is a very high honor, partly due to the high level of competition involved. Any college band student from across the United States is eligible to audition for the ensemble, so being chosen from among potentially many hundreds of submissions is truly special,” said Duane Bierman, a music professor and director of bands at UNK.
“Our students won seats in the ensemble over students in the largest and most prestigious music schools in the nation, which speaks to the level we at UNK can operate,” he added. “I know this experience will rank highly in the memories of these students, as it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Smith is a freshman studying music education. He plays trumpet in the UNK Wind Ensemble, Jazz/Rock Ensemble and Pride of the Plains Marching Band, along with the Archway Brass Quintet. He’s part of the National Association for Music Education and Oaks International campus ministry.
Shipley is a senior studying music education. He plays tuba in the Wind Ensemble, UNK Symphonic Band and Pride of the Plains Marching Band, as well as the Archway Brass Quintet and Kearney Symphony Orchestra. He’s involved in Kappa Kappa Psi and the National Association for Music Education.
McCarty is a junior studying music education. He plays trumpet in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz/Rock Ensemble and Archway Brass Quintet. He’s involved in the National Association for Music Education, Oaks International, Christian Student Fellowship and International Christian Student Fellowship.
McCarty will attend the APEX Trumpet Symposium in Sevier County, Tennessee. That event features private lessons, trumpet ensembles, lectures and master classes from world-renowned musicians. Guest artists include Ben Gunnarson from the United States Marine Band; Philip Smith, a music professor and bandmaster at the University of Georgia and former member of the New York Philharmonic; and Melvin Jones, a professional musician who’s performed with artists such as Usher, TLC, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Missy Elliott and Gladys Knight.
