After five decades leading the USC marching band, Spirit of Troy, Dr. Arthur Bartner is savoring life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. A PV resident for nearly 30 years, Dr. Bartner appreciates the beat of living on the hill. “I always said if I’m going to live in PV, I want to wake up and see the ocean. It is beautiful here, but now, when I get up, I see the marine layer,” he jokes. Dr. Bartner and his wife Barbara Masin met in junior high in New Jersey back in 1962 and have been living on the Peninsula since 1976.
“We moved to Palos Verdes Estates and love the community here. My son and daughter both went to Dapplegray and then Miraleste High School, and at each school, every time it was possible, I would bring the marching band, so that was fun for everyone. Fun for me, for the band, and the students. I taught private trumpet lessons all around Palos Verdes, so I got to know and meet all the area band directors, even guest conducted. It’s been a terrific experience,” says Bartner.
Born in 1940, the oldest of three children, Bartner was always equally interested in music and sports. An all-state trumpeter and captain of the basketball team in high school, he passed on attending the prestigious music conservatories and purposefully landed at the University of Michigan where he indulged in both of his great loves, sports and music, simultaneously.
In 1970, he was hired to direct the USC marching band. “That was a great moment. I accepted the job with great joy,” Bartner shares. “I built the program from 80 to 250 students. I diversified the band, added women, and we grew.” The grandfather of seven borrowed some of his teaching techniques from observing Trojan football practice, originating a serious intensity in rehearsals and banning alcohol and profanity.
The energy and size of the band grew, and the music beckoned.
“Hollywood is a neighbor to USC. We did so much. There were a lot of great things. The biggest moments, the top three, were in 1973 when Diana Ross appeared on the field with the band, becoming the first celebrity to do so. In 1979, when we recorded with Fleetwood Mac, a tune called “Tusk,” the album went platinum, and the band became rockstars. I stayed in touch with Mick Fleetwood all those years, and we recorded again in 1997 for Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits album and in 1984 during the Olympics. I was the director, and the band played a major role in the opening ceremonies,” he remembers.
None of it would have been possible without the connection he made to his Palos Verdes neighbor. “I’ve been very fortunate. I met Bob Jani, the great producer, the Vice President of Disneyland, and a USC grad in Malaga Cove. He lived in Palos Verdes Estates, and he got me involved with Disney.”
Robert Jani was the Artistic Director of the Hollywood Bowl, producer of several television specials, and a good friend to Bartner and the band. Spirit of Troy was involved in the opening of Disney Europe and Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando as well as countless other events. Thanks to Bartner’s extraordinary leadership, the band has been to 19 countries on six continents. Under his direction, they’ve performed at Super Bowls, the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and the Coachella music festival. They’ve made more than 100 television appearances and have performed roles in more than a dozen movies, including the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump.
Bartner always wanted to create an experience that the students would love to be part of, and over five decades, that is what he achieved. “Rehearsals were fun. We did contemporary music, and they love traveling and performing with the stars. Band members on the USC campus are the rock stars. The band has tremendous respect. We are the soundtrack of USC because we connect to campus, with the alumni, with everyone.”
After an unprecedented 50 years at the helm of what is arguably the most recognized college marching band in the world, Bartner is grateful and proud of the leadership program he built. The Spirit of Troy is known as a home for everyone. “It’s always been about student leadership, student show committees, student selection of music,” he says, and organically, the students began to develop a sense of self-ownership.
“Students love it. Everybody is a rock star when you put on the band helmet. Whether it’s a recording, a television shoot, or out playing live, the kids are professionals. I’m very grateful. I’ve received tremendous support from the university, alumni, and students. My staff has been wonderful. It’s never been a one-man show.”
The legendary Bartner may have taken his final bow on the field, but his musical influence lives forever in the Spirit of Troy.
