Putting ‘Rears’ in Seats
This clinic will be presented by ACB member Dr. Mark Rogers, Conductor of the Heart of Texas Concert Band and the 2023 recipient of the ACB Outstanding Conductor Award. The clinic will focus on the community band conductor’s role to create a program that meets all of the following criteria: 1. choosing music that an average music-loving audience member wants to hear performed live by your band, 2. the average member of the community band you conduct wants to perform this music, 3. you, the conductor, possess the necessary skills to rehearse this music and perform it in an appropriate fashion, 4. you, the conductor, have the verbal skills to engage your audience at the performance, and 5. you and your publicity team have the marketing skills needed to bring notice of the performance to the audience that you intend to reach.
Dr. Mark Rogers is the current and founding conductor of the 90+ piece volunteer community band, the Heart of Texas Concert Band. The HTxCB is the 2022 recipient of the Sudler Silver Scroll, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation which recognizes and honors those community bands that have demonstrated particularly high standards of excellence in concert activities over a period of several years, and which have played a significant and leading role in the cultural and musical environment in their respective communities. Dr. Rogers is the 2023 recipient of the Association of Concert Bands Outstanding Conductor Award for his conducting skills, musicality, community contributions, educational foresight and dedication to the ACB. He has led the Heart of Texas Concert Band in performing more than 150 free concerts for increasing audiences. In 1980, his first published transcription, the Overture to Verdi’s opera La Forza del Destino appeared with Southern Music Company, and in 1993, he joined the firm full time as Director of Publications. Dr. Rogers continues as Managing Editor of Kaiser/Southern Music Company. His editions of the music of Percy Grainger and John Philip Sousa have entered band repertory worldwide. He has had his works performed by all of the Washington, D.C. premier service bands. He is widely published, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Dr. Rogers is a member of ASCAP with over 70 works listed. His most recent works include transcriptions of the 5th Symphonies of Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, complete.