Dear Colleague,
The Auburn University Bands and the Department of Music are pleased to announce the Seventeenth Annual Auburn University Symphonic Honor Band Festival for high school students. This event will be held on our campus February 12-15, 2009. We would like to invite you to nominate your outstanding band students in grades 9-12 to participate in this stimulating weekend of concerts, rehearsals, clinics and social activities. In conjunction with the Festival, we will also be holding scholarship auditions for prospective music majors.
We plan to have three Festival Bands again this year, one Symphonic and two Concert. Our special guest conductor and clinician will be award-winning composer Mark Camphouse. Mr. Camphouse will conduct one selection with each of the three festival bands and will also present a "Meet the Composer" session for each of the bands during the festival weekend. Composer-conductor Mark Camphouse is Professor of Music at George Mason University where he conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches courses in conducting and composition. A graduate of Northwestern University, his compositions have received widespread critical acclaim and are performed frequently in the U.S. and abroad. He has served as a guest conductor in 40 states, Canada, and Europe. He is a recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia – the Commonwealth’s highest honor for demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Other highlights of the Festival will include master classes by the Music Department applied faculty as well as concerts by the Auburn University Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, and the Festival Finale Concert on Sunday afternoon.
As in past years, all students must attend the Festival accompanied by their director or an adult chaperone and will make their own housing arrangements at one of the local hotels. Registration cost for the Festival is only $55.00. Everyone will be responsible for his or her own meals.
Participants will be selected for the Festival based on their musical accomplishments and their director’s assessment and recommendation. Enclosed is a nomination form that can be photocopied for your students. Please have the students complete the front page of the form and return the form to you. On the back of the form is your confidential assessment/recommendation. Once both sides of the form are completed, mail all of the completed forms to us in a single package. Students should not mail their individual forms. To be considered, nominations must be received in the Auburn University Band office by Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Students selected for the Festival will be notified in early January. This year the selected students will be listed on the A.U. Band website.
Please nominate only your truly outstanding band students who are interested and sincerely desire to participate in the Festival. Registration fees should not be sent with nominations. Housing information (a list of area hotels) and instructions for submitting the registration fee will be sent along with notification of acceptance.
The students and staff of the Auburn University Bands are indeed excited about our Eighteenth Annual Symphonic Honor Band Festival. We believe that it will be an enjoyable and rewarding weekend for all. We look forward to having your outstanding students join us for this event!
Sincerely,
Dr. Rick Good
Director of Bands