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National Community Band

******* July 5 -7, 2013 *******

Wenham, Massachusetts

Join us in Boston for the annual Sousa National Community Band.

The Cradle of Liberty. The Hub of the Universe. The Athens of America. These are big words for a mid-sized city. But Boston lives up to them. With its rich history, grand architecture and world-renowned academic and cultural institutions, the city retains and radiates the glory it has garnered over the last four centuries.

Read more http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/boston#ixzz26AjoQDLL

 

Come join a world-class conductor and talented musicians from around the country for a great weekend of music making in the home of the Red Sox. The concert is scheduled for mid-afternoon on Sunday, July 7.

We will convene July 5-7, 2013. Gordon College in Wenham will host the rehearsals and associated activities. Wenham is only 30 miles northeast of Logan Airport.

The Sousa National Community Band will be organized by Gerald Guilbeaux, a Past President of the Association of Concert Bands and Board Member of the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The band will be conducted by Colonel John R. Bourgeois, USMC (Ret.), former director of the United States Marine Band, "The President's Own."   

The Sousa National Community Band registration fee is $75.00.

There is no audition required to perform with the band, however if you wish to be considered for any solos, a recording of your playing must be submitted with your application. There are a limited number of seats available, so register early.

Members of the Sousa National Community Band are responsible for their own transportation, lodging and meals. A list of convenient hotels in the area will sent upon receipt of the application form.

Further inquiries may be directed to:

Gerald Guilbeaux

windband@gmail.com

3600 West Congress Street

Lafayette, LA 70506

Col. John R. Bourgeois, Conductor


Col. John R. Bourgeois is the permanent conductor of the Sousa National Community Band. A native of Louisiana, Col. Bourgeois is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans. He joined the Marine Corps in 1956 and entered "The President's Own" in 1958; named director in 1979, his career spanned nine presidential administrations. He retired on July 11, 1996. 

Under his leadership, the Marine Band presented its first overseas performances, traveling to the Netherlands in 1958 and an historic 18-day concert tour of the former Soviet Union as a part of the first US-USSR Armed Forces Band Exchange.

Col. Bourgeois is past president of the American Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, president and CEO of the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and the American vice president of the International Military Music Society. He has served on the board of directors of the World Association for Symphonic Band and Ensembles and the Association of Concert Bands. In 1996, Col. Bourgeois began an endowed visiting professorship at Loyola University in New Orleans, where he conducts classes and ensembles for two weeks each semester.

Among the many honors and awards Col. Bourgeois has received are the 1986 Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award and the 1987 Kappa Kappa Psi distinguished Service to Music Award. In 1993, he was presented with the Grainger Medallion of the Percy Grainger Society and was awarded the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic Medal of Honor. In 1996, Col. Bourgeois was recognized by the American School Band Directors Association with its prestigious A.A. Harding Award. He was elected to the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts of the National Band Association in 1988, and inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2001. He received the 1991 Phi Mu Alpha National Citation and was named the fraternity's "American Man of Music" for 2002-2003.

 
Col. Bourgeois conducted his final concert as director of "The President's Own" on July 11, 1996 (the band's 198th birthday), at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. More than 3,500 people attended this gala event. During the concert, letters of gratitude and praise by Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter, Ford and Mrs. Reagan were read. Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton hailed Bourgeois as "a national treasure" and presented the Distinguished Service Medal from President Clinton. The concert was covered by media giants CNN, ABC, CBS, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. ABC's Peter Jennings selected Col. Bourgeois as the Evening News "Person of the Week."