Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Hundreds of high school musicians from throughout the region will participate Thursday-Saturday [Jan. 25-27] in Mississippi State’s 65th annual University Honor Band Clinic.
“It’s a privilege for us to host this clinic each year and have some of the best student musicians from the Southeast in attendance,” said Elva Kaye Lance, MSU director of bands. “We hope that their experiences on our campus will lead them to become members of the Famous Maroon Band one day.”
The campus event began in the early 1950s as a new materials clinic and was among only a few such university-based programs in the U.S. In its original format, band directors were invited to hear performances of newly published music to consider for their organizations.
Participants in this year’s clinic were selected through a rigorous audition process that evaluated musicianship, technique and tone quality.
Free to all, clinic performances in the McComas Hall main theater will include:
—Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Honor Jazz Band and Honor Percussion Ensemble;
—Friday, 7:30 p.m., MSU Wind Ensemble; and
—Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Honor Band final concert.
In addition to MSU Associate Professors of Music Jason Baker and Cliff Taylor, students will hone their talents under the guidance of guest conductors Brant Karrick, Rusty Logan and Richard Suk.
Karrick has served since 2003 as director of bands at Northern Kentucky University, where he also teaches classes in conducting, music education, marching band techniques and orchestration. In addition to his work at NKU, Karrick is an active guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, composer and music arranger. His band compositions have been performed around the U.S., as well as in Europe, South Africa, Japan and Australia.
Logan retired in 2013 after serving 24 years as director of bands at Auburn High School. He serves as conductor of the East Alabama Community Band and principal trombonist for the Alabama Winds. He has performed in the orchestra for productions at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Suk is professor of music education and marching band director at Ohio University. An active adjudicator, clinician and drill writer, he is a recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence.
Additional information about the 2018 honor band clinic is available by calling 662-325-2713 or visiting www.msuband.msstate.edu. Craig Aarhus, MSU associate professor of music and associate director of bands, may be contacted at cha18@msstate.edu.
Learn more about MSU’s nationally accredited Department of Music at www.music.msstate.edu and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @MSStateMusic.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.