On November 6th and 7th, 2022, Gustavus Adolphus College hosted the 34th annual Gustavus Honor Band Festival. Bringing together over 250 students from more than 60 different high schools to form two all-state caliber symphonic bands, the Gustavus Honor Band Festival is centered on creativity in performance and education.
Participating students were given the opportunity to rehearse under the direction of Dr. James Patrick Miller, Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller, and Dr. Karrin Meffert-Nelson for a full day of masterclasses, clinics, and rehearsal labs culminating in a finale concert in Christ Chapel that took place on the evening of November 7th.
“We’re bringing students here for two days, to learn, to grow, to mature, and to think differently and at a high level,” says Festival Director Dr. James Patrick Miller about the goals of the festival. “There’s artistry, expression, and interpretation.”
About the experience provided for the high school students, Dr. Miller says “The most important thing that I would want them to take away from this is experiential learning. You can’t teach that. They learn from every part of it; from the rehearsals to the walk to dinner where they’re talking to a Gustavus student or to another high school student they just met. I can’t teach that, it just happens.”
Each year, the Honor Band Festival welcomes a special guest musician to help lead rehearsals and conduct during the closing finale concert. This year’s Honor Band Festival featured special guest conductor, educator, and trumpet player Kelly Watkins. Kelly has been an active member of the United States Coast Guard Band since 2003 and she has traveled extensively domestically and abroad performing as a soloist on concert tours. Kelly also served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band in New York City from 2013-2016.
“We try really hard to bring in truly excellent musicians and teachers and conductors as guests, people who are the highest achieving in their field, and Kelly is definitely that. We also try to bring in someone with a really diverse perspective,” says Dr. Miller about the process of selecting the special guest for the annual festival. In the case of bringing in Kelly Watkins this year, Dr. Miller says, “Think about this: a queer, not-white-man, who’s in the military. That is an unbelievably unique perspective that she can bring here and that she brings to the high school students. Every one of those human beings can learn from Kelly’s perspective.”
Dr. Miller passionately thanks the supporters of the music department of Gustavus for aiding the ability to put on the Honor Band Festival “We are eternally blessed with the support we have. There’s not a better way to apply the funds those supporters give us than to bring amazing people here to learn from.”