Music program at Pitt State presents
Four State Honor Band Festival
May 2nd, 2024
40th Annual Four State Honor Band Festival
📅 Date: Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
🎺🥁 Who: High school wind and percussion students
🎉 What to Expect:
- Enjoyable and educational experience
- Supportive environment
- Opportunity to perform with some of the region's best musicians
📢 Why Attend:
- Great way to conclude the school year
- Chance to showcase talent alongside top musicians
📅 Nomination Deadline: Friday, March 8th, 2024
🎼 Seating Criteria:
- Students seated according to their 2023/2024 judged events (region/state band, solo and ensemble, etc.)
- Director information given serious consideration
🤝 Fair and Equitable:
- Every effort made to ensure fairness to all programs, regardless of size
Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity! Nominate your students and be part of a memorable musical experience.
Featuring
Dr. Joseph Higgins
Dr. Joseph Higgins (he/him) is a conductor and educator who inspires creativity, curiosity, and understanding through art. A passionate advocate of socially and environmentally conscious programming, he teaches and performs music to encourage greater empathy and understanding among diverse performers, audiences, and their environments. In 2015, Higgins joined the faculty of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and literature.
During his tenure, the program has grown to include multiple directors, three concert ensembles, and the new “Pride of the Profs” Marching Band; student ensembles have premiered over forty new works and collaborated with many world-class artists, including contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird. For his exceptional leadership in the classroom, Higgins was awarded the Frances S. Johnson Innovative Teaching Award. He also received the Rowan University Values Award for Inclusivity in recognition of curating a “Music of Social Justice” performance series.
The Rowan University Wind Ensemble performed at the 2020 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Conference, and Rowan Bands are regularly invited to state and regional festivals and conferences. In addition to his work at Rowan University, Higgins serves as a guest conductor-clinician with outstanding professional, community, and student ensembles throughout the country. His current season includes collaborations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Delaware, as well as conducting the 2024 New Jersey All-State Band.
Captain David Regner
Captain David Regner - a native of West Orange, New Jersey - is a Flight Commander for The United States Air Force Band based in Washington DC. He is responsible to the band commander for oversight of equipping and training a 184-member unit to accomplish more than 1600 missions annually. Previously, Captain Regner was the Commander and Conductor of both the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band based in Langley AFB, Virginia and the USAF Heartland of America Band based in Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
David was commissioned in 2017 as a graduate of Officer Training School in Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Since then, he has led community engagement and public diplomacy missions through the east coast, Europe, and the Middle East. Prior to joining the Air Force, David served for four years as a high school band director at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville, New York. He earned his Master of Music degree in conducting at Northwestern University where he studied with Mallory Thompson and his Bachelor of Music degree in music education at Rutgers University where he studied with Darryl Bott.