NORMAN — Dr. Justin Stolarik, a music educator who is currently assistant director of the University of Wisconsin marching band, has been named Director of the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band at the University of Oklahoma, OU officials announced today.

  Stolarik holds a bachelor's degree with highest honors in music education from the University of Florida, and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.

Announcement of Stolarik’s appointment, which is subject to the approval of the OU Board of Regents, was made by Rich Taylor, dean of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.  Stolarik also will serve as associate director of University Bands. 

He was selected after a careful and comprehensive process including music educators, students and university leaders. 

“The selection was a difficult one because there were three excellent finalists for the position,” Taylor said, noting that band students had the opportunity to interact with all three of the finalists.  In addition, the current supervisors of all three finalists were interviewed in detail about the candidates. The search committee also invited comments from students, and those comments were read and considered as part of the selection process, Taylor said. 

Under the process, OU President David Boren makes the final recommendation of the appointment to the Board of Regents from among the three finalists determined by the search committee. 

“We eagerly await the arrival of Justin Stolarik,” Taylor said.  “We believe he will bring an abundance of creativity to The Pride, one of the nation’s top university marching bands, as well as to our entire program,” Taylor said.  “He has expressed deep respect for the great tradition of excellence of The Pride.”

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.