The Penn Band performed this weekend alongside rock band Guster as part of radio station WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival.
WXPN, a public radio station licensed by Penn, hosted the festival at Wiggins Park in Camden, N.J. from Sept. 20 to 22. The band accompanied the finale of Guster's performance on Sunday evening, performing on and in front of the stage.
WXPN is a nonprofit and user-supported radio station that promotes musical artists, with a specific mission to highlight student musicians. It has hosted the XPoNential festival annually for 30 years as a platform for both established and upcoming bands. This year's festival featured over 20 artists from across musical genres, including R&B, country, and indie.
According to WXPN Program Director Bruce Warren, this is the first time the Penn-affiliated radio has collaborated directly with the band.
College senior and Penn Band Vice President Aleena Parenti said that the band’s board, drum majors, and band directors met with representatives from WXPN two weeks before the festival to prepare for the performance and discuss logistics. After a few meetings, WXPN sent over music to the band directors, who then arranged it for the band's instrumentation.
Parenti said that the band usually performs at home and away games and charity events — which are not normally on as large a scale as the music festival. This weekend, the festival drew thousands to the Camden Waterfront across three days.
Parenti expressed hope that this performance could be the start of a continued relationship.
“We hope that it goes really well, so WXPN will reach out to us again in the future," Parenti said.
Warren said that the station has flexibility in choosing who to showcase, adding that he proposed the collaboration after he saw Guster's recent performance with the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band.
"We establish great new relationships and long-term relationships with bands," he said. "They know they're getting in front of a community of music lovers, people who are really into music discovery.”
The band is planning two upcoming philanthropy events for the semester: a high school band night hosted by the Phillies where the band will help instruct high school students in learning music, and a performance at Lincoln Financial Field where the band is playing for a Ronald McDonald House event.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate