News

Illinois College was among the top 14 ensembles  chosen from a total of 64 colleges and universities across the country who submitted entries for the Small Band Program Showcase as part of the upcoming biennial conference.

Dr. Christian Secrist, assistant professor of music, serves as conductor of the ensemble. He will attend the conference to present the performance of “Excerpts from The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky (arr. Robert Buckley) which was recorded live in Rammelkamp Chapel during the IC Wind Ensemble concert in fall 2017. 

“This is a tremendous honor for the students in the Illinois College Wind Ensemble and a major accomplishment for the music program,” he said. “It is an honor to work with these students every day and to share in their growth as musicians and as people, and it is particularly rewarding to see our work recognized by the premier professional organization in our field.”

While the CBDNA often invites larger colleges to perform live at the convention, smaller colleges have been historically underrepresented on this national stage. The Small Program Showcase concept was pioneered at the 2016 conference in Kansas City to highlight smaller schools which may not have the resources to send large groups of students to the national conference every year.

A three-member blind jury of distinguished conductors ranked each submission based on its musical achievement. The identities of the jurors were kept confidential, as were the identities of each of the bands and conductors being evaluated.

IC was the smallest school chosen this year. The University of Alabama Huntsville, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, California State University Bakersfield and Duke University are among those who will also present in the Small Program Showcase. 

IC Wind Ensemble members McKenzie Suter ’19, Charlotte Crofton ’20, and Chloe Britenstine ’20 were also selected to attend and take part in the convention through its Intercollegiate Honors Band which will be performing at the conference.