The Illinois State University Wind Symphony filled the Center for Performing Arts with energy and emotion Sunday afternoon as students and alumni came together for a performance led by special guest conductor Col. John R. Bourgeois, former director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
The program featured classic pieces such as “Elsa’s procession to the Cathedral and Semper Fidelis,” a staple of the Bourgeois Marine Band repertoire. Audience members, including former members of the ISU Big Red Marching Machine, described the concert as both nostalgic and inspiring.
1972 ISU alumnus and former member of the Red Marching Machine, Larry Frank, spoke on how much the program has changed.
“It’s heart-warming to watch what the current conductors have done with the program, how it’s continued to advance,” Frank said. “The students are playing really well. Dr. Marinello does a great job. It’s just a real treat to come back and watch this.”
Frank, who performed with the university’s marching band from 1978 to 1988, said the concert brought back vivid memories of his time on campus.
“It was just a wonderful experience,” Frank said. “Many memories came back. To watch the kids play was a real treat.”
For current students, the concert represented not only a performance but a learning opportunity. Junior music education major and French horn player Sean Wright said rehearsals for the event were rigorous yet rewarding.
“We usually spend two hours three days a week rehearsing all together, and the rest of that for our individual parts is our own practice time,” Wright said. “I think the whole thing went well. Working with the Colonel was very fun. He’s a very big name in the band world, so getting to work with him was great.”
Wright said he especially enjoyed performing the closing symphony.
“It was really, really cool, a very fun style to play,” Wright said. “Getting to hear this type of music, even though it’s not as big as it was back in the day, still ultimately brings people together.”
Bourgeois praised the ensemble’s preparation and musicianship, noting that the university’s commitment to music education remains strong.
“They did a spectacular job,” Bourgeois said. “Concerts like these unite us all, brings the community together. I found that this community is very much involved and very supportive.”
Bourgeois, whose decorated career has taken him around the world, reflected on his own musical journey.
“These fine musicians, much like myself in my career, have evolved greatly,” Bourgeois said. “As a young man, I played for the royal couple in Japan and even ended up coming back when they became emperor and empress.”
The concert closed to a standing ovation, a testament to the Wind Symphony’s talent, Bourgeois and the timeless power of live music to connect generations.
