Twirling auditions determine 2016-17 twirlers for Purdue’s ‘All-American’ Marching Band

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Alexa Phillips, a senior in Animal Sciences: pre-veterinary medicine from Orlando, Florida, will return for the fourth straight season as Purdue University’s 28^th Golden Girl for the 2016-17 academic year.

Phillips was chosen during the Purdue Bands & Orchestra’s auditions Sunday (Feb. 27) in Lambert Fieldhouse on campus. The Girl in Black and the Silver Twins, meanwhile, will feature some holdover performers and newcomers.

Julianna Johnson, a senior in speech, language and hearing sciences from Niles, Ohio, was chosen as the new Girl in Black. However, she has been with the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band’s twirling program for the past three seasons, serving as a Silver Twin.

Olivia Zugai, a junior in chemical engineering from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, who has been part of the “All-American” Twirling Team, will be a Silver Twin. She’ll be joined by Kaitlyn Schleis, a freshman from Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The All-American Twirling Team offered seven spots after Sunday’s auditions, with commitments being needed by April 1. Erin Curtis, a senior in education from Toledo, Ohio, has been named the team’s student leader for next season.

The tradition of attracting the nation’s best twirlers to Purdue ignited in the early 1950s when professor emeritus Al G. Wright recruited the first Golden Girl to perform with the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band. Since then, the band now features the Golden Girl, Girl-in-Black, Silver Twins, and the All-American Twirling Team.

The solo twirler positions are especially integral to the university, with these positions serving not only as leaders of the band, but as ambassadors for Purdue University. Soloists are selected during a rigorous audition process that assesses their twirling techniques and abilities through performances, and their public relations skills through interviews.

Purdue is unique because twirlers, as well as all band members, including members of the Golden Silks Color Guard and Golduster Dance Team, must audition for positions annually.

With over 125 years of history, Purdue Bands & Orchestras provides an opportunity for more than 850 students to begin their lifelong journey with music as performers, patrons and advocates for the arts, while pursuing a non-music degree in a variety of disciplines. The students who participate in Purdue Bands & Orchestras are stewards of the Boilermaker spirit as the “heartbeat of the university” on campus and after graduation, with such honored traditions as the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band, the Big Bass Drum and the Golden Girl. 

Contact: Courtney Downey, director of alumni, donor and public relations, Purdue University Bands & Orchestras, 765-496-3288, cndowney@purdue.edu