In recent years, Gustavus Adolphus College has become more recognized for the musical talents on campus. Christmas in Christ Chapel and other annual concerts and musical groups at Gustavus have become very well-known.

Another event that is gaining attention is the Honor Band Festival.

This year, the 27th Annual Honor Band Festival took place on Nov. 1 and 2 with a concluding concert in Christ Chapel on Nov. 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This year, the Festival brought in approximately 250 high school band students from fifty-nine different schools in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, and Illinois to campus to work with the music professors and students at Gustavus.

The visiting students were divided into three groups, two concert bands/wind orchestras and a jazz band ensemble. They went through intensive rehearsals all day on Sunday and stayed overnight with students from the Music Department. They rehearsed again and experienced more of Gustavus culture on Monday before performing a concert alongside the Gustavus Wind Orchestra.

James Patrick Miller, Director of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and professor of Music at Gustavus, directed the concert and is in charge of the Honor Band Festival each year.

Besides Miller, the concert also featured conductors Heidi Johanna Miller, Karrin Meffert-Nelson, and Dave Stamps.

“It’s a really cool thing to see that many high school students on our campus doing what they do at a really high level and interacting with our students,” James Patrick Miller said. “There is an intangible kind of learning that happens when you are put into a room with a hundred people that you’ve never met before and you are challenged to play very difficult music and then give a concert a day later. It’s an amazing learning opportunity to be put into a situation like that.”

Junior Music Education Major Zach Anderson served as the Chair for the Honor Band Festival and did a lot of organization for the event. He and other students helped to set up the rehearsal spaces.

There were students assisting professors during the day and helping to make sure things ran smoothly. If an Honor Band student lost their music or their instrument broke, students in the Gustavus band program were there to provide backup music and instruments.

“I like to see progress of things happening,” Anderson said. “Seeing all of our work paying off in the end.”

The Honor Band students utilized the main practice room in the music building during their rehearsals, as well as Christ Chapel and Bjorling recital hall. They also each received a thirty minute master class on their instrument from a music professor at Gustavus. The Gustavus Jazz Lab Band and Gustavus Wind Orchestra both performed for the Honor Band students.

“It’s a lot of fun seeing the kids work with such great musicians,” Anderson said. “I think they gain a better appreciation and love of music. This is a really cool opportunity for them to see what working with college band is like. I think that’s a really cool experience for them.”

The Admissions office provided the visiting students with a packet of Gustavus items including a “Make Your Life Count” T-shirt. Admissions also sponsored an ice cream social for the students.

Some of these high schoolers may decide to attend Gustavus for college, whether they major in music or something else. However, the Honor Band Festival is not an admissions event.

“My favorite part of the Festival is when I’m making music with the students,” Miller said. “That’s why you put in all the effort and work. For all the hundreds out hours that go into it, what I am most excited about is when we’re actually making music.”

For more information about the Honor Band Festival, visit the event page at gustavus.edu/music/honorband/ or contact James Patrick Miller at ipmgwo@gustavus.edu.