After nearly two decades with O. Richard Bundy at the helm, the Penn State Blue Band officially has a new director. Gregory Drane, the band’s current assistant director, has been selected as Bundy’s successor according to an e-mail sent to the band.

Drane has been with the Blue Band since 2002 and has served as the assistant director since 2005. He’s a Penn State alumnus, too, completing a master’s degree in music education at the university after attending Bethune-Cookman College for his undergraduate. Drane is an instructor with the Penn State School of Music and is currently working on a doctorate.

Drane beat out two other finalists to earn his new role leading the Blue Band. Kyle Glaser, a Penn State alumnus and the athletic bands director at Texas State University, was on the short list for the job. Michael Robinson, the University of Georgia band director, was also a finalist.

About the Author

Zach Berger

Zach Berger is a StateCollege.com reporter and Onward State's Managing Editor Emeritus. You can find him at the Phyrst more nights than not. If he had to pick a last meal, Zach would go for a medium-rare New York strip steak with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a cold BrewDog Punk IPA. You can reach him via e-mail at zach@onwardstate.com or on Twitter at @theZachBerger.

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