Athens, Ga. – The Declaration of Independence, a film created for broadcast before Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, features a score by Steve Dancz, University of Georgia professor and director of the Jazz Studies program in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music.
The score, which features UGA master’s student Chuck Arnold as trumpet soloist, will be released on iTunes this week as “Declaration Anthem.”
UGA alumnus Ben Leathers served as an assistant to Dancz on the score. Leathers, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a music business certificate in 2008, took several improv courses with Dancz. Prior to the Super Bowl, Leathers’ latest credit was as an orchestrator on the feature film, Rabbit Hole, starring Nicole Kidman.
“The Declaration of Independence” features an introduction and perspective from retired Army Gen. Colin Powell and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It was filmed at The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at The National Archives in Washington, D.C., home of the Declaration of Independence.The reading features current and former NFL players reading excerpts from the document, with participants chosen for their extraordinary service to team and country.
