Release Date: January 16, 2006

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Outstanding band students from 24 area school districts are scheduled to participate in the second annual Monmouth College High School Honor Band Festival on Jan. 21 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Kasch Performance Hall of the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.

According to Steven Richter, lecturer in music and director of instrumental music activities at the college, the students will spend the day on campus rehearsing for an afternoon concert at 4 p.m. The concert, which will be conducted by college music education majors, is free and open to the public.

The festival will include special sessions with Richter and MC music lecturer Tony Oliver. In addition, the honor band students will also be given tours of the campus and will be able to audition for scholarships in music.

Interested students can obtain more information regarding the band festival or scholarships in music at Monmouth College by contacting Richter at 309-457-2229.

Richter also announced that he has been chosen as the guest conductor for the Prairieland Conference Band Festival to be held on Feb. 5 at Lewistown Community High School. The conference is made up of high schools from Cuba, Farmington, Lewistown, Astoria and VIT. The event will include rehearsals with all of the band students from each high school and end with an evening concert.

Richter was also chosen recently to adjudicate at the Midwest Music Festival in Lemont on Feb. 25. Now in its 20th year, the festival has boasted some of the country’s finest college band directors, including Harry Begian from the University of Illinois and noted composer/ conductor Stephen Melillo. Richter will be judging 20 high school bands from around the country.

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