Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will be hosting a two-day honor band event on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. Gifted high school students will be invited to participate in an honor band at UW-Platteville. UWP students from the Symphonic Wind and Jazz I Ensembles will be performing on Friday evening, while the high school students will be performing on Saturday.

This is the first year that UWP is hosting this event. Barry Ellis, UWP director of bands, has sent out applications to high schools from all over Wisconsin and from areas of Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. The band directors at these high schools will have the chance to nominate some of their best students to perform in an honor band at UWP. The students will have their applications reviewed, and a chosen number will be invited to perform in the honor band and study under UWP faculty and guest clinician Carl Chevallard.

To launch the festival, UWP's Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Jazz I Ensemble will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3, in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts building. Guest artist and UWP faculty member John Marco will be performing a clarinet solo. This concert is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, March 4, the high school students will study under several different musicians. UWP instrumental applied faculty will be conducting master's classes for the high school students throughout the day. Chevallard will also be working with the students, in addition to directing one of the bands and hosting a director's clinic for the high school band directors to attend. Chevellard, an author, pilot and life-long musician, has recently retired as the Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Academy (USAF) Band. He has produced over 80 audio recordings, including the USAF Band's "America," the first compact disc recorded by any American military band. He has started 10 radio series, including the initial Air Force programs for "The Greatest Bands in the Land" for NPR, and a dozen television productions, including the Emmy-nominated "A String of Pearls: Glenn Miller, the Army-Air Force Years" for PBS. He's conducted over 1,500 worldwide concerts in venues that include the White House.

As a finale to the festival, the high school students will perform on March 4, Saturday evening. The concert, also held in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall, will begin at 7:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

Contact: Barry Ellis, UWP director of bands, (608) 342-1017,ellisb@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Kym Bliven, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,blivenk@uwplatt.edu