Barry L. Houser

Barry L. Houser
Barry L. Houser in Memorial Stadium in August 2015
Born	Barry Lee Houser (1977-06-21) June 21, 1977 (age 40) South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Education	B.M.E University of Florida M.M. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title	Director of the Marching Illini
Predecessor	Pete Griffin
Spouse(s)	Abigail Houser (m. June 22, 2007)
Children	Caroline Houser Emmett Houser

B.M.E University of Florida

Barry L. Houser (June 21, 1977) is the director of the University of Illinois Marching Illini. In addition to his responsibilities with the university’s marching band, he is also the current Associate Director of Bands and the Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Along with serving as the director of the Marching Illini, his duties include conducting the Harding Symphonic Band, the basketball and volleyball bands, while also teaching other courses.

Houser is often called upon to serve as an ambassador for the University. Houser is also known for being knowledgeable on the history of the University of Illinois Band program and is an advocate for furthering the program’s history of innovation.

Bands under Houser's direction have performed at events at the national and local level, ranging from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the NBC Today Show to the ISSMA State Marching Finals and the IMEA State Convention. Bands under Houser’s direction also performed at Chicago Bears Games, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, the Indianapolis 500 Parade, the Outback Bowl Parade and Half-Time Show, the Target Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Washington DC National Memorial Parade, as well as included performances with Maynard Ferguson and the Dallas Brass.

Houser is also the Director and Head Clinician for the Smith Walbridge Clinics, one of the largest marching band/leadership camps of its type in the United States of America.

Houser grew up in North Liberty, Indiana and attended John Glenn High School in Walkerton, Indiana. Instead of studying law at a college in the Midwest as his parents had initially wished, Houser chose to spend his undergraduate years at the University of Florida, where he would go on to major in music education and perform as a trumpet player and eventually drum major of the Gator Marching Band.

After starting his teaching career in public high schools, in 2007, Houser decided to go back to school and was a student of James Keene and Pete Griffin at the University of Illinois, where he pursued a master’s degree in wind band conducting. While a student at Illinois, Houser served as a graduate assistant where he conducted athletic bands and assisted with directing the Marching Illini, the band over which he would eventually assume full leadership a few years later.