VINCENNES – On Tuesday, November 8th, seven area schools will come together to perform at the 33rd Southwest Indiana Festival of Bands. This free concert is open to the public and will take place at South Knox Middle/High School in the High School Gym at 7 p.m.
South Knox Middle-High School is a combination middle school and high school located approximately 6.5 miles southeast of Vincennes at 6116 State Road 61.
This year, more than 180 students will perform and represent Mitchell, Shoals, Loogootee, Barr-Reeve, North Daviess, North Knox, and South Knox.
The concert will feature guest conductor Dr. Tiffany J. Galus, who is currently an assistant professor of music in bands at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and associate director of IU athletic bands.
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This year marks the premiere of the group’s sixth new work for concert band: A Lion Legacy by Alex Tedrow.
Alex Tedrow is a composer, musician, and educator in Martin County, who strives to inspire and connect performers and listeners of all ages to fresh, fun, and innovative music and technology. He composed A Lion Legacy in honor of the late Loogootee High School band director Ed Hamilton who began his teaching career at Loogootee High School in 1959 and retired at the end of the 1989-90 school year. Hamilton passed away on May 29, 2021.
While Hamilton demanded high-quality performances, he also made music fun. Many of his students went on to become music majors as a result of the impact he had on their lives. A Lion Legacy quotes “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as Hamilton started the tradition of performing this piece at every Loogootee High School graduation ceremony.
Tedrow says hopes that Hamilton’s incredible Loogootee “Lion” legacy will be remembered through this music written in his honor.
