Mr. Donavan V. Wells serves as the Director of University Bands and Professor of Practice in the Music Department at Bethune-Cookman University. He supervises the productivity and recruitment of the marching, concert and symphonic Bands. In the past, Mr. Wells served as Band Director at various high schools in the Hampton Roads area of Southeastern Virginia where his bands won numerous state and national awards. He has also served as guest conductor, clinician, keynote speaker and adjudicator for high schools and institutions throughout the East Coast of the United States.
Under Mr. Wells’ leadership the Marching Wildcats, recognized as “The Heartbeat of B-CU”, is comprised of 300-plus band members and is ranked as one of the top performing collegiate bands in the nation. The Marching Wildcats have performed nationally on NBC, BET, ESPN, UPN, MTV Super Bowl Special, opening ceremonies for the Daytona 500, NBA Halftimes, EA Sports, NCAA Football, ABC Walt Disney World Christmas Special; Honda HBCU Invitational Showcase for a record 13 years, NFL Super Bowl pre-game in Tampa and Pro Bowl halftime entertainment in Miami, halftime performances for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins, Major League Baseball Urban Sports Initiative in Los Angeles. The Marching Wildcats have also performed for the nationally-televised “Ellen Degeneres Show”, have been featured in a Cadillac DTS commercial, and had a guest appearance in the 20th Century Fox film, Drumline. ESPN featured the Marching Wildcats and Mr. Wells in the reality TV show called the “The Battle,” which aired six 30-minute episodes during the 2010 football season. The Marching Wildcats auxiliary units consist of the Sophisticat Flag Corp and the nationally known 14KT Gold Dancers.
Mr. Wells holds a Master of Music degree from Norfolk State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bethune-Cookman College.
