The School of Music in the College of Creative Arts will host its 33rd Annual Invitational High School Honor Bands event at the Creative Arts Center during Feb. 9-11.

Approximately 350 student musicians from high schools in West Virginia and several surrounding states will participate. The students are recommended by their high school band directors and selected on the basis of their ability and accomplishments.

The students will audition Thursday evening and rehearse for two days before presenting the annual Honor Bands Concert, Saturday, Feb. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at the WVU Creative Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public. (Note: the time of the concert was changed from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. due to a WVU home basketball game.)

The Honor Bands event is hosted by WVU Director of Bands John Hendricks and Associate Director Jay Drury. This year more than one hundred schools will participate in the Honor Band weekend. Many of the high school band directors also accompany their students to the event, which serves as a workshop and observation opportunity for area music teachers.

“Much of the success of our Honor Bands is due to the outstanding guest conductors who bring their talents to Morgantown each year,” Hendricks said. “We are pleased to announce that our conductors this year will be Col. Michael Colburn, conductor of ‘The President’s Own,’ the United States Marine Band of Washington, D.C.; and also two WVU School of Music alumni, Dr. Jay Jacobs, associate director of bands at McNeese State University in Louisiana, and Roger Walker, band director at Frankfort High School in West Virginia and Concert Band conductor at WVU’s Potomac State College.”

As part of the Honor Band Weekend activities, the WVU Wind Symphony will perform a concert Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre. This concert, a free event, will also feature the guest conductors for the WVU Invitational Honor Bands event, as well as special guests, The United States Army Herald Trumpets, the official fanfare ensemble for the President of the United States.

For more information contact the WVU Band Office at (304) 293-4381.