USC Trojan Marching Band Set to Perform in Japan

Commemorating 40 years as USC’s global representatives, The Spirit of Troy will cross the Pacific next week to explore Japan and perform at the USA Pavilion in Osaka’s Expo 2025. In 1985, the USC Trojan Marching Band made its first international debut at the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo. The ensemble will again visit the city four decades later before proceeding south through Hamamatsu and Kyoto to Osaka.

More than 100 participants from the Trojan Marching Band, USC Song Leaders, and USC Spirit Leaders will symbolize the university in Japan. Known as The Spirit of Troy, the group is slated to perform twice at Expo 2025, including a concert outside the USA Pavilion on May 24. The following day, the band will participate in a marching band festival in Aichi Prefecture. Additionally, the band will tour Yamaha’s Toyooka Factory, where the students’ instruments were crafted. Members will also visit the Tokyo Disney Resort and explore Tokyo and Kyoto.

This marks the Trojan Marching Band’s third journey to Japan. In November 1985, the band accompanied USC football to Tokyo for their first (and so far, only) game played internationally. Dubbed the Mirage Bowl, it was a regular season matchup pitting USC against Oregon at Tokyo’s iconic National Olympic Stadium. The band performed during halftime and at events surrounding the game. Two decades later, the band returned to Japan to showcase their talent at Aichi Prefecture’s Expo 2005 for the fair’s USA National Day. This year’s performance will be the band’s seventh at a world expo. Starting with Brisbane’s World Expo 88, the band has journeyed to six nations across three continents to represent the United States at these international gatherings.

Trojan Marching Band Director Jacob Vogel will lead the ensemble on his third international trip in his fourth year at the helm of the program. He takes pride in perpetuating the band’s global legacy. “As the TMB embarks on its third voyage to Japan, I’m thrilled to direct my largest ensemble overseas,” Vogel commented. “It’s a privilege to embody the university on a global platform and highlight the arts in a positive light.”

Since 1988, the Trojan Marching Band has explored 19 countries, visiting Asia on eight occasions. Most recently, the band performed in Macao for the Pico Group International Conference in December 2024. Some notable international moments through the years include commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day at Normandy Beach in 1994, parading outside Rome’s Colosseum in 2006, hosting a concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema Beach in 2008, and showcasing their talents in London’s Trafalgar Square ahead of the 2012 Olympics. The Trojan Marching Band also became the first American marching band to take part in the Chinese New Year’s parades in Hong Kong in 2003 and Macao in 2016.

The Spirit of Troy is scheduled to perform twice at Expo 2025. The band and spirit teams will host concerts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, at the Expo Hall “Shining Hat” building, followed by another performance at 11:30 a.m. outside the USA Pavilion. The next day, the Trojans will perform at 1 p.m. at Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Nagakute together with the Aimachi Marching Band and URIBOU Blasters Nagoya Marching Sounds.