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Aside from being an educator, he performs regularly and has played with numerous area organizations as well as performing on many commercially released compact discs by both the Keystone Wind Ensemble and the Blue Moon Big Band. Todd is probably most well known for his work in the field of musical instrument repair and design. He has been a guest lecturer and clinician at institutions such as Ithaca Conservatory, Indiana University of PA, and Penn State University.
Todd is currently the owner of Rosso Music Center in Brooklyn Park, MD where he continues to perform, educate, and serve musicians both locally and internationally. Married to former Marching Raven Drum Major Jennifer Bours, Todd and Jen welcomed their daughter into the world on May 3, 2004 and are already making future plans for Abigail to someday join the Marching Ravens' playing trumpet. Then on May 15, 2006, another addition to the Clontz Family was welcomed with the birth of their son Adam who has plans of following in Daddy's footsteps playing trombone.
No stranger to the local area, Mr. Wacker holds a Bachelor's degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a Master's from Towson State University. During his collegiate life, Harry studied with jazz arranger Hank Levy as well as Armon Sarro, the principal trombonist of the National Symphony. Harry also played for several years in the Marine Corps Band prior to college.
His professional career includes performing with jazz bands that accompanied such stars as Tony Bennett, Robert (Bob) Goulet, Mickey Rooney, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Martin. Harry's marching band experience came from his 37 years at Smithsburg High School in Smithsburg, MD where he served as the band director of the school's award-winning marching, jazz and concert bands. His innovative style and his repore with band members led to an entertaining and professional organization that received many standing ovations from the audience as well as technical accolades from judges.
Due to his outstanding contributions to music, Harry is a member of the Festivals of Music Hall of Fame. With over 100 family, friends and band member attendees at an emotional ceremony held in his honor, Mr. Wacker officially retired as Smithsburg High's band director in 1998.
In 2001, after almost 20 years as Musical Director, Harry decided that the time had come to "pull back" a little and step down. Due to his dedication and devotion to making our unit great, Baltimore's Marching Ravens wasted no time in honoring Harry with emeritus status.
John led the band on a mission to stay together until the NFL returned to Baltimore. In that time, The Colts' Band performed at 30 NFL games, The Pro-Football Hall of Fame parade and game, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade and was known throughout the nation as "Baltimore's Pro-Football Musical Ambassadors". The band played a major part in keeping the spirit for Pro-Football alive plus restoring the NFL back to Baltimore and fighting for the new stadium complex at Camden Yards.
That mission was accomplished in 1996 with the arrival of the Ravens. John and Ravens' President David Modell worked together to properly close out the 50-year history of the Colts' Band and begin the history of the Marching Ravens.
In 1971, John married Charlene Wills (a former Colts Cheerleader and current Ravens Flagline instructor). John and Charlene are the proud parents of two sons, Christopher and Patrick who both have served as members of the band.
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Ziemann as a member of the 1969 Baltimore Colts' Marching Band |
For 35 years, John worked as a studio technician at WMAR-TV in Baltimore and in addition to his volunteer status with the Marching Ravens, he is now the Deputy Director of Internal Affairs for the Sports Legends at Camden Yards Museum. His first project with the Babe Ruth Museum was a combined effort with the Maryland Stadium Authority serving as Project Director for the artifact removal and preservation phase of Baltimore's historic Memorial Stadium. When John Unitas was going to donate his memorabilia collection from his storied career, it was Ziemann who convinced the legendary quarterback to keep the collection in Maryland and donate it to the Babe Ruth Museum (now housed at Sports Legends) for generations to enjoy.
Ziemann was locally educated at Patterson High School and the Peabody Institute. Other musical experience was achieved through Junior and Senior Drum and Bugle Corps. He is an honorary member of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Band Fraternity and has received such honors as the "Eddie Award" from the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation, Patterson High School Alumni Hall of Fame, and the "Nasty Nestor Nice Guy Award", but during the 2000 football season, John received one of the greatest honors of his band career. An original musical score composed by Marching Ravens Musical Director Emeritus Mr. Harry Wacker titled "Z-man" was first played by the Marching Ravens and dedicated to the Ziemann family for their years of service to the Baltimore Colts' Band, The Marching Ravens and the State of Maryland.
A trombone player since 1979, Bill has performed in marching, jazz and concert bands at the high school, college and professional levels. He has performed at over 210 football games during his musical career.
Bill became the vice president of the band in 1997. He assisted with the development of the current Marching Ravens. He continues to assist the band president in the operation of the band while still maintaining his musical performance position on game days.
A clinical laboratory scientist, Bill received his Medical Technology degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his Specialist in Blood Banking certification from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Army Blood Bank Fellowship Program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He prepares Army, Navy and Air Force officers to operate transfusion services, blood donor centers and blood banks worldwide.
Bill's wife, Karen, is a flagline field director for the Marching Ravens. Karen joined the band organization in 1986.
The job of taking care of all of the band's property is handled by the most dedicated people in our organization, The Marching Ravens Equipment Crew.
Under the direction of Keith and Kevin Wood and assisted by Jill Ann Joubert with Property Operations under the management of Director Dave Wurzel and Assistant Director Barry Kiernan, the crew is a very vital part of the band and are considered a full unit of the Marching Ravens (equivalent to the Musicians, Color Guard, Flagline and Staff). They are the group that comes early to rehearsals / performances and always leaves late. They handle everything from unloading and loading the trucks, giving out and checking in uniforms, "lining" the field for practice, setting up and tearing down the band area at the stadium, assisting in pre-game and halftime shows, repairing instruments with the Band Property Manager, bringing water to the band members during parades, working with the Pep Band during their performances, taking care of band members who become ill along with our certified Medical Crew and much more. (In a nutshell, we couldn't survive without them.) The crew's motto is "The band is the show, and we make it go."
Baltimore's Marching Ravens Pep Band is the "lighter and more manueverable" version of the Marching Ravens. Made up of the best musicians from the full ranks of marching band, their main duty is to entertain where space cannot accomodate the large size of the full band.
Their performance gives you a musical sample of the true Ravens spirit and along with great entertainment for any event. The Pep Band numbers approximately 30 musicians and is under the Direction of Assistant Musical Directors Kyle Harvey and Corry Hamrick, with the guidance of Pep Band Manager Michael Blander.
The Baltimore Marching Ravens Percussion line is a unit of the Marching Ravens. Like all marching bands, the percussion line provides the drive and sound to move, plus motivate the spirit of each band member and keeps the spirit high for all Raven fans.
On Raven home games, the line performs with the band during pre-game concerts, marching to the stadium, pre-game shows and halftimes with added duties performing cadence features for the corporate tents and in the stadium concourse also performing during Ravens special events.
The Percussion line is all volunteer and is under the direction of Gene Bennett assisted by Eugene Bennett.
