Dr. Catherine Rand is the Director of Bands at the University of Southern Mississippi where she conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate wind conducting, and guides all facets of the University of Southern Mississippi’s comprehensive band program.   Prior to her appointment at The University of Southern Mississippi, she served as the Director of Bands at Florida International University and the University of South Carolina Aiken.

Dr. Rand received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Tampa, Master of Music in conducting from the University of South Florida, and Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Prior to her collegiate teaching career, she taught band and orchestra in the Florida public school system for 15 years.

Active in scholarly and creative endeavors, Dr. Rand has presented numerous workshops to music educators on festival preparation, rehearsal techniques, meaningful conducting gestures, and building curriculum for band programs. She has conducted numerous honor bands and All-State ensembles including working with the Third Marine Aircraft Wind Band and their conductors in San Diego, California. Dr. Rand was a founding member of the Creative Music Project, which promotes student-based musical creativity by providing improvisation and composition activities accompanied by technology-based, multi-disciplinary methodology.  She is published in volume 5 of “A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band,” and in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band Series, distributed by GIA Publications.

Dr. Rand has served as assistant producer for several commercial recordings by the NAXOS record label. Her first compact disc with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Wind Ensemble entitled ALCHEMIZE was released December 2017 on the NAXOS label.

In addition to the numerous local, regional, and national events in which her ensembles have performed, most recently The University of Southern Mississippi’s Wind Ensemble, under her direction, has been chosen to perform at the Southern Regional of CBDNA in Tampa Florida in February 2018.

Dr. Rand is a strong advocate for new music.  She has helped to commission new works for wind ensemble and chamber winds and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Joseph Schwanter, David Maslanka, Luigi Zaninelli, Paul Dooley, Anthony Barfield, and Steve Danyew.

Dr. Rand maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and guest lecturer throughout the United States and abroad. In 2017 she had the honor to have been chosen as a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician. She is the state representative for College Band Director’s National Association, and President for the Women Band Director’s International. Her other professional affiliations include: National Band Association, College Music Society, Mississippi Band Master’s Association, Florida Band Master’s Association, Kappa Kappa Psi and the Music Educators National Conference.

Michael Colburn joined the faculty of Butler University as Director of Bands in August, 2014. In addition to conducting the Butler University Wind Ensemble, he offers instruction in conducting, euphonium, and the history and literature of the wind band. Before coming to Butler, Colburn served for 27 years in “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, where he held a variety of positions including Principal Euphonium (1991-1996), Assistant Director (1996-2004), and Director (2004-2014). As Director, Colburn was music advisor to White House and regularly conducted the Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra at the Executive Mansion and at Presidential Inaugurations. He was promoted to Colonel by President George W. Bush in a private Oval Office ceremony in 2007, and in 2014 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Gen James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Medal of Honor by the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic Board of Directors.

Colburn is an active guest conductor and clinician. He regularly conducts bands at numerous state and regional festivals and has guest conducted several professional and university bands and wind ensembles. Committed to the creation of new music for winds, Colburn serves as the Co-Chair of the Sousa-Ostwald Award, a prize sponsored by the American Bandmasters Association in order to promote new works for wind band/ensemble. He has served as an adjudicator for the Sudler Award, the Barlow Endowment, Music for All, and the Col. George S. Howard award for excellence in military bands. Colburn is a member of Washington D.C.’s prestigious Gridiron and Alfalfa Clubs, the American Bandmasters Association, and a board member of the John Philip Sousa Foundation.