As one of the oldest clubs on campus, the Bobcat Band at UC Merced is the spirit and pride of the University. The club has grown a lot over time, and now has 3 subgroups: the Bobcat Band, the Bobcat Orchestra, and The Jazzcats, also known as the Bobcat Big Band. From those who have never played an instrument before to experienced musicians, the Bobcat Band welcomes all students to join any of our ensembles.
Throughout the club’s history, the groups have performed on campus and all around Merced at events such as local city-funded parades, sporting events such as basketball and soccer games, senior homes, and numerous smaller community events. As such, this club provides a fun and welcoming way to play music not only for yourself, but for the Merced community. In addition, the club is the only band program in the entire UC system to be entirely student-led.
Ensembles
Bobcat Band
The Bobcat Band plays a variety of music, acting as a combination of pep, marching, and concert band for the school. The Bobcat Band has performed in many events with other groups such as parades, as well as concerts held on campus. Meetings are held on Tuesdays from 7-10 PM in ACS 108.
Bobcat Orchestra
The Bobcat Orchestra performs many classical and contemporary orchestral pieces for performances on campus. Being the newest ensemble in the club, the Orchestra has not had the opportunity to perform in as many outside events, but plans to do so in the future. Rehearsals are held on Thursdays from 7-10 PM in ACS 108.
The Jazzcats
The Jazzcats, also known as the Bobcat Big Band, is a jazz ensemble that plays a variety of jazz, funk, and R&B for both concerts on campus and gigs for outside groups. There is also a smaller combo group that is a subset of The Jazzcats and has its own gigs. The Jazzcats rehearses on Fridays from 6-9 PM in ACS 108.
History
Originally, the Bobcat Band was formed as a single ensemble in 2006, only one year after UC Merced was founded. The first appearance of the Bobcat Band was for Bobcat Day and a featured drum performance. Over time, the club has grown in size and now performs at many school events and collaborates with other groups both in the school and the community. In January 2016, the first new ensemble within the club was created, the Bobcat Big Band. The Jazzcats, also known as the Bobcat Big Band, started as a group of mostly band members creating their own jazz ensemble, but now flourishes as its own mostly independent group, and have even created their own smaller combo group. The second new ensemble was created in January of 2022, the Bobcat Orchestra.