The sun had set, the air was crisp, the band was fresh off a 3 hour rehearsal and the bleachers were full as trumpet player Chloe Peterson played the first note of the Timpview Marching Band’s 2025 show, A Prayer for My Child.
A show of Cirque du Soleil music, featuring selections from “Atmadja”, “Ninkou Latora”, “Quidam”, and “Incantation”, this show’s story illustrates the potential power all children hold within them and the hopes their parents have for them to reach that potential. The show’s promotional art features a lotus and an anatomical heart floating above a disembodied hand and was designed by Sydney Eckton, a baritone saxophone player and talented artist.
It’s been a long road to this final show. The band spent June learning marching fundamentals and performing in various parades around Provo. After a two week break they spent the last week of July and the first week of August putting in 8 hour days, 5 days a week, getting their entire show on the field in 95 degree heat.
Despite having a fairly rough season, with their highest placement being 3rd place at Oquirrh Mountain and Davis Cup after a season of sweeping with their 2024 show, the musicians remain proud of the show they’ve made.
“I would say the thing I’m most proud of about our marching band is not giving up despite not getting crazy results like we did last year,” said Battery Captain Joss McFarland. “We’ve been so consistently improving and we’ve never let ourselves get too down, we always dust ourselves off and get back into it, which I think is admirable and makes me proud to call all of them my teammates.”
The Twilight Show is a longstanding tradition of the Timpview Marching Band. It takes place the Monday before the band heads off to St George for the Redrocks and Bands of America competitions. The band has a standard rehearsal beforehand, meaning three to four hours of work. They then break for dinner and get into uniform. After dinner, the winds, battery, front and guard separate for their respective warm ups as the smell of the battery’s incense floats in the air.
The band then takes the field as director John Bolton announces their show and salutes the drum major. They perform the show three times, once to start the night, once to honor the seniors and once with “shadows.” The shadows are friends, family, younger band students or anyone else who came to support. They pick a band member and follow them around as they perform the show. Seniors are honored by name and given a small gift, with more honor to come a few weeks later at their “Remember When” party.
This year’s marching band boasts the largest senior class in a long, long time, with 22 of the 61 members being Class of 2026. The night’s honorees included:
- Adam Payne, Bass Drum
- Briana Sikes, Synthesizer
- Brooklyn Patrick, Bass Drum
- Chloe Peterson, Trumpet, Section Leader
- Devin Carlisle, Trumpet
- Emma Hudson, Trombone
- Evan Howell, Colorguard
- Graden Rockwood, Bass Drum, Section Leader
- Heber Madsen, Bass Clarinet, Section Leader
- Jake Palmer, Alto Saxophone
- Jeremiah Gunter, Marimba
- Josiah McFarland, Snare Drum, Battery Captain
- Julio Mayen, Bass Drum, Section Leader
- Kai Walters, Trumpet
- Liam Packard, Snare Drum, Section Leader
- Oleson Allen, Snare Drum, Center Snare
- Sara Stallard, Colorguard
- Shantel Gosain, Trombone
- Sydney Eckton, Baritone Saxophone
- Thomas Wilcox, Drum Major
- Tristan Lee, Tenor Drums
- William Brinkerhoff, Trombone, Section Leader
“From an outside perspective this season seems disappointing,” said Drum Major Thomas Wilcox. “But it was everything we’ve always had. The scores do not show the hard work that has been put into this season. Memories were made, friendships gained and we still put an awesome show on the field.”
As “PRIDE” rang across the field and Wilcox clapped the band out one last time at the Redrocks competition on Friday, the seniors left their season with tears in their eyes, instruments in hand and a beautiful legacy left behind.
“The future of Timpview Band is in incredible hands,” said Center Snare Oleson Allen. “I’m so proud of the individual growth of the rookies this year and what they’ve brought to the culture of Timpview. I could not be more secure about the future of Timpview when rookies like these are here.”
Timpview Marching Band seniors, we love you and we’ll miss you! You brought spirit and soul to band competitions, football games, band concerts, and Timpview as a whole!
