Every April, the three-evening Varsity Band Spring Concert series brings thousands of people to the Kohl Center to see and hear Mike Leckrone and the University of Wisconsin-Madison students under his direction play everything from “On Wisconsin” and “Space Badgers” to selections from hit Broadway musicals, rock ‘n’ roll and Wagnerian opera. The concerts also bring top-quality national performers to Madison as guest artists, adding a truly special feature to the shows.
This year, R.W. Baird & Company will sponsor legendary drummer Ed Shaughnessy as guest artist through a generous corporate gift and funding from the R.W. Baird Foundation. This is the third year that Baird has supported the featured artist at the concerts. Previous artists were world-class steelpan drum player Liam Teague and trumpet virtuoso Mark Pender.
A major private financial services firm with national headquarters in Milwaukee, Baird and its employees have supported the UW-Madison in a number of other ways as well. In addition to significant philanthropic investments in the Wisconsin School of Business, Baird has contributed to a wide variety of other programs and projects across the Madison campus, from the American Family Children’s Hospital and the School of Medicine and Public Health to the Law School, School of Human Ecology and Badger athletics.