The musical traditions of "The March King" John Philip Sousa, continue at UNLV in July as the National Community Band, a project of the John Philip Sousa Foundation, presents a free concert at 3:30 p.m. on July 9 in Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
The 100-member concert band is composed of adult amateur musicians from around the country and will be led by Col. John R. Bourgeois, director emeritus of the U.S. Marine Band, The President’s Own, in Washington, D.C.
Bourgeois was the 25th director of The President’s Own and his acclaimed career spanned nine presidential administrations, from Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. Bourgeois is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans. He joined the Marine Corps in 1956, entered The President’s Own as a French horn player and arranger in 1958 and was named director of the Marine Band in 1979; he was promoted to colonel in June 1983. Bourgeois retired from active duty July 11, 1996.
According to Bourgeois, “the concert will have music for everyone, from a Beethoven transcription to Scott Joplin’s A Real Slow Drag. Along with great continental marches and marches of Sousa, there will be music from Academy Award-nominated composer, Julie Giroux."
The John Philip Sousa Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the promotion of international understanding through the medium of band music. Through the administration of band related projects, the group seeks to uphold the standards and ideals of that icon of the American spirit, John Philip Sousa.
About the UNLV College of Fine Arts
The UNLV College of Fine Arts, one of the nation's largest fine arts colleges, boldly launches visionaries who transform the global community through collaboration, scholarship, and innovation. Established in 1992, the UNLV CFA encompasses the departments of art, dance, film, theatre, the School of Music, School of Architecture, Entertainment Engineering & Design, and is home to the Performing Arts Center, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, and Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art.
We illuminate the power of the arts amidst breathtaking advancements in science and technology. In doing so, we are creating a global destination at the forefront of transforming arts and design. To accomplish this we encourage agency, inventiveness, problem-solving, and big-idea thinking in our students, faculty, and staff. We make education relevant through evolving curriculum and effective learning outcomes.
