Loyola University New Orleans
11/04/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/04/2025 14:41
Loyola University Launches Inaugural Big Easy Band Fest
Loyola University Launches Inaugural Big Easy Band Fest
By Loyola University on Tue, 11/04/2025 - 14:16 Press ReleasesCollege of Music and Media
High School Musicians from Across Louisiana Take the Spotlight as Members of the Bourgeois Honor Bands
More than 120 of the top high school concert band members from across the state will perform this weekend at the first-ever Big Easy Band Fest at Loyola University.
The two-day event takes place Nov. 8-9, with a Finalé Concert consisting of the long-running Bourgeois Honor Bands on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in the Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall, in the Communications/Music Complex at Loyola. The performance is free and open to the public.
The students will perform masterpieces from the band repertoire, led by Associate Professor Alan Mills, Loyola's Conductor and Coordinator of Bands, and Col. John R. Bourgeois, former conductor of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, a visiting professor at Loyola and a Loyola alumnus.
The Finalé Concert will open with Bourgeois conducting a tribute to the United States Marine Corps, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary on Nov. 10.
The University Wind Ensemble then will deliver the United States premier performance of a new piece of music that Kevin Poelking, an American composer, wrote for the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine.
Loyola's School of Music and Theatre Professions contributed to a consortium to fund the creation of the piece, called "Sounds, Voices, and Dreams from Ukraine," Mills said. Poelking will be in attendance at the concert and will introduce the 18-minute symphony, he said.
On Nov. 8, the participating high school students, who were nominated to participate, will gather at Loyola to begin rehearsals as members oftwo Bourgeois honor bands. The day will conclude with the opening concert, featuring Loyola students and faculty members, Mills said.
The following morning, those in attendance will enjoy a "Band Directors' Band Concert," consisting of band directors from the 25 participating high schools and area music teachers, he said. After the lunch break, the Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Loyola Coordinator of Jazz Studies Gordon Towell, will perform at the festival.
The students also will take part in small-group instrumental rehearsals, and attend a masterclass with Loyola faculty members and students on each of the various ensemble instruments, Mills said.
"I think what we're about to do is a significant event," he said, noting the changes to previous Bourgeois Honor Band events, which consisted of a single-day, honor band-only performance, with just one-third the number of high school students in attendance. "I'm really hoping this grows into a regional, bigger-reaching event that provides opportunities for more high school students."
Those wishing to attend the Finalé Concert should request tickets to secure a seat. Please visit this link to RSVP.
About the College of Music and Media
The College of Music and Media is comprised of two schools - the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the School of Communication and Design. Students who choose to study in the college prepare for careers in music, theatre, music industry, design, fine art, filmmaking, strategy, mass media and more.
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