Formed in January of 1987, the UNLV COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND is under the aegis of the Division of Wind Band Studies and is offered as a non-credit course through the UNLV Department  of Educational Outreach. UNLV Students may also receive academic credit at the regular per-credit    rate. The band is comprised of local Las Vegans and Clark County residents representing every           professional field of endeavor and has performed numerous concerts in the past twenty years both      on and off the UNLV campus, many of which have helped benefit local charities such as Big               Brothers and Big Sisters of Southern Nevada. Other special performances include concerts for            the 40th Anniversary of UNLV Continuing Education (now Educational Outreach) in 2006, the           50th Anniversary of the United States Air Force in 1997 and Congressional Academy Night                 hosted by Senators Harry Reid and Richard Bryan and U.S. Representatives Jim Bilbray and              Barbara Vucanovich in 1990.

 

              The band has developed into a musical organization capable of performing some of the                        most challenging repertoire written for the wind band idiom and has played for several                       distinguished guest conductors including, Col. John R. Bourgeois, Director Emeritus,                          United States Marine Band ("The President's Own"), Washington, D.C.; Dr. W. J. Julian,                     Director of Bands Emeritus, University of Tennessee; Dr. Paula Crider, Director                                  Emeritus, University of Texas Longhorn Band; and renown Hollywood television and                         motion picture composer and arranger Warren Barker. Academically, the band serves as                      an invaluable laboratory ensemble for graduate students in the UNLV School of                                   Music's masters and doctoral conducting degree programs.

 

                        To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the UNLV Community Concert Band, the                             first-ever award of UNLV Artist-In-Residence funding was granted in addition to a                              substantial private gift, to bring guest composer and Juilliard Music Faculty                                         Professor Eric Ewazen to guest conduct Silver Star. Silver Star, a reference to the                                star on the state flag of Nevada, is the title of the composition especially written                                    for the band by Ewazen to celebrate the milestone anniversary concert presented                                 in May of 2008. During St. Patrick's Day festivities in 2009, members of the                                        band presented a concert at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. To                                               celebrate its 25th Anniversary, the band presented two special concerts at home                                    in 2012 and traveled to Italy in June 2012. Accompanied by special guest                                             conductor Col. John Bourgeois, Director Emeritus, United States Marine                                              Band, Washington, D.C., the group presented a concert in Palestrina, Italy                                             with touring in Rome, Florence and Venice.

 

                                         The group rehearses each Wednesday evening from 7:00pm-9:20pm                                                     during regular fall and spring semesters. Registration is $30 for all non-                                                UNLV students. Interested persons may register online (please see 'UNLV                                             Educational Outreach' course offerings at the unlv.edu website), or                                                         register on-site at BMC160 with payment. Please contact Prof. Anthony                                                LaBounty for additional information.