Orrin Richard Bundy (born June 19, 1948) is an American music academic. Bundy was the director of the Penn State Athletic Bands, most notably the

Penn State Blue Band The Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band, known generally as the Blue Band, is the marching band of Pennsylvania State University. Founded in 1899, it is the largest recognized student organization at the University Park campus o ...

. He originally joined the University Park faculty of

The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

in 1982 as a graduate assistant, then became Assistant Director of the Blue Band in 1988 before becoming Director in 1996. In addition to his role as director, he teaches courses in conducting,

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

techniques, instrumental music education, and band literature. He retired as director in 2015. The only Blue Band director to have also been a member of the marching Blue Band as an undergraduate, Bundy was in the Blue Band during his four years in college from 1966–1970. Upon graduation in 1970, Bundy enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and served as a trombonist with the United States Continental Army Band. After completing his tour of duty with the military, Bundy became band director and instrumental music instructor in 1976 for the Iroquois School District,

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. Bundy then went on to receive his master's degree from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

before returning to Penn State for his doctoral degree. An active guest conductor and adjudicator, Bundy has conducted ensembles and presented clinics throughout the United States and Canada. He is a member of the

College Band Directors National Association William D. Revelli (February 12, 1902 – July 16, 1994) was an American music educator and conductor best known for his association with the University of Michigan, where he directed the university's bands including the Michigan Marching Ban ...

(CBDNA), the

Music Educators National Conference The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States. Founded in 1907 as the Mus ...

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, more commonly known as PMEA, is the Pennsylvania state-level affiliate of the National Association for Music Education. PMEA is a statewide non-profit organization of over 5,000 members reaching thou ...

Phi Beta Mu Phi Beta Mu, International Bandmasters' Fraternity (), is an honorary fraternity for band directors. The fraternity was designed to honor outstanding band directors at the state level, with only one potential chapter per state. There are currentl ...

, and

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

. He is a past president of the Eastern Division of CBDNA and the Phi Beta Mu, Nu chapter. From 2005–2007, Bundy partnered with fellow Penn State faculty member and sports enthusiast

Jon Nese Jon Nese is a Teaching Professor and Associate Head of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at The Pennsylvania State University. Nese was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Steubenville, Oh ...

on the popular radio program Let's Talk Penn State. Bundy received Penn State's College of Arts & Architecture Alumni Achievement Award in 2000. Bundy has overseen a number of significant milestones in the history of the Blue Band, such as the emergence of the Alumni Blue Band Association (ABBA), which has grown to become the largest Alumni Affiliate Group (AAG) in the Penn State Alumni Association, an expansion in the size of the band, the construction of the Blue Band Building, and the receipt of the prestigious

Sudler Trophy The John Philip Sousa Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the promotion of band music internationally. The foundation administers a number of projects and awards supporting high quality band performance, conducting, and composition ...

in 2005. The Blue Band Building was renamed in his honor upon his retirement in 2015. Bundy's wife, Chris, is an employee of Penn State, and they have four children.

References

Pennsylvania State University alumni Pennsylvania State University faculty Living people 1948 births University of Michigan alumni {{US-academic-bio-stub