District 308 Junior High School Honor Band Festival and World Premiere Performance

We are very pleased to announce the first ever District 308 Junior High School Honor Band Festival.

This group will be comprised of select students from each of the four junior high school band programs. The guest director will be Ross Kellan from Elmhurst College. Kellan is highly regarded on a national level as a conductor and educator. The group will be playing some of the best music available for young bands, including the World Premiere of a new work by acclaimed composer John Mackey.

The Traughber and Thompson Junior High School Band Boosters have commissioned a major new work for the young band by John Mackey. The piece, Sheltering Sky, will have its World Premiere on April 21 by the District 308 Junior High Honor Band. Mackey will be in attendance to work with students and to participate in the World Premiere Concert.

Mackey will attend classes at both Thompson and Traughber Junior High Schools to work with band students and discuss his life and work process as a professional composer. Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will work with Mackey. Students will have the opportunity to hear about the composition process and the experience Mackey has had working with musicians from around the world. Students will be guided in developing questions and discussion points in preparation for the visit. Approximately 575 students will participate in this event during the school day and 100 select students will perform the new composition.

The April 21 concert will be held at Traughber Junior High School at 2 p.m. Cost is $3 at the door. The program will include: Sheltering Sky by John Mackey, Aparito Roca by Jaime Texidor, Urban Dances by Eric Morales and Triumphant Fanfare by Richard Saucedo.