Honors Band Festival
Each year, more than 150 high school students gather on the campus of Susquehanna University for three days of thrilling music making. The festival is hosted by Director of Bands Eric L. Hinton, Ph.D., and the Susquehanna University Bands. Students travel from all around the state of Pennsylvania as well as cities from along the eastern seaboard.
The 2009 festival welcomed Lieutenant Colonel Beth Steele as the guest conductor. Steele is the former deputy commander of the U.S. Army Field Band and is currently commander and conductor of the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus in Schwetzingen, Germany.
This year’s guest conductor, John A. Thomson, was director of bands at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., from 1982 to 2007. An accomplished educator and conductor, his bands have toured Switzerland, Germany and Holland. His bands have given critically acclaimed performances at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Atlanta International Band and Orchestra Conference and for the Music Educators National Conference Biennial In-Service Conference.
Important Dates:
Feb. 19–21, 2010 – 18th Annual Honors Band Festival
Feb. 21, 2010 – Honors Band Festival Concert, Weber Chapel Auditorium, 3 p.m.
Nov. 2, 2009 – Deadline for acceptance of applications
Important Links:
Band Director’s Letter of Invitation
