Outstanding student musicians from across the country will gather in Indianapolis for the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, March 12-14 to present concerts and participate in music education workshops in top venues throughout Indianapolis.

The festival comprises the National Concert Band Festival, Orchestra America National Festival, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, Chamber Music National Festival, Middle School National Music Festival and three national honor ensembles: the Honor Band of America, the Jazz Band of America and the Honor Orchestra of America.

High school and middle school concert bands, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and percussion ensembles were selected by recorded audition to perform in concerts at Clowes Memorial Hall, Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University, Indiana Historical Society, and Warren Performing Arts Center. These 45 ensembles will be evaluated by renowned music educators and participate in master classes and special events. Invited concert bands, orchestras, percussion ensembles and honor ensemble members for the 2015 Festival come from 32 states including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

In its 24th year, the festival is an annual program of Music for All, one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of music education, headquartered in Indianapolis. “The non-competitive atmosphere of the festival provides a place for growth, cooperative encouragement and mutual respect. The ensembles are free to stretch themselves, reach for new heights, and strive for innovation, growth and excellence,” says Eric Martin, President and CEO of Music for All.

Festival Honor Ensembles

The Jazz Band of America will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 13 at Clowes Memorial Hall, directed by Shelly Berg, Dean of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, with guest artist and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Tickets for the Jazz Band of America performance are $15 and can be ordered in advance at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, or Ticketmaster.com.

The Honor Band of America will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at Clowes Memorial Hall, conducted by Kevin Sedatole, Director of Bands at Michigan State University, with guest artist Joseph Lulloff, professor of saxophone at Michigan State.

The 2015 Honor Orchestra of America will perform two shared concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 13, 14 at Hilbert Circle Theatre. Franz Anton Krager, Professor of Conducting and Director of Orchestras at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, will conduct the Honor Orchestra of America, with guest artist Michael Martin, trumpet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Tickets for the Honor Orchestra of America concert at Hilbert Circle Theatre are available at indianapolissymphony.org and the Hilbert Circle Theatre ticket office. The Honor Orchestra of America will perform as part of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Subscription Series.

National Concert Band Festival Tickets

Tickets for the National Concert Band Festival performances at Clowes Hall, Thursday through Saturday, March 12-14, range from $5 to $40 and can be ordered in advance at cloweshall.org, musicforall.org, or Ticketmaster.com and purchased at the Clowes Hall ticket office.

Free Admission Events

Music for All is offering free admission to several concert events within the Festival. The free admission events include:

Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival
Friday, March 13
8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Warren Performing Arts Center

Saturday, March 14
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Warren Performing Arts Center

Middle School National Music Festival
Friday, March 13
5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

Saturday, March 14
9:30 a.m. –  11:30 a.m.
Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

Chamber Music National Festival
Friday, March 13
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Indiana Historical Society

Music for All National Festival – Invited Ensembles
Friday, March 13
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

Saturday, March 14
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University

Orchestra America National Festival
Friday, March 13
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Clowes Memorial Hall

A full schedule of Festival ensemble concerts, times and locations is available at www.musicforall.org/festival, or for more information call 800-848-BAND (2263).