UMass Lowell Program to Offer In-Person Instruction

Mary Jo Leahey Band Camp
UMass Lowell's Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp will welcome student musicians to campus next month for in-person workshops and performances.

06/29/2021

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. – Student musicians interested in developing their talent in an immersive, ensemble setting are invited to attend UMass Lowell’s annual band camp, which resumes this summer on the university’s campus with in-person sessions.

Now in its 24th year, the Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp will offer students entering ninth grade through freshman year of college a weeklong concert band experience, including performance sessions in percussion, brass and woodwinds; mixed chamber ensembles and jazz bands; and other workshops, all designed to cultivate participants’ virtuosity.

The day camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 18 through Friday, July 23. Sessions will be led by UMass Lowell music faculty and guest instructors, while the university’s music students and alumni will serve as camp mentors.

Camp enrollment remains open, with registration and more information available at www.symphonicbandcamp.org. The public is invited to attend a free concert to cap the week on Friday, July 23 at 6 p.m. outside Durgin Hall at 35 Wilder St. on UMass Lowell’s South Campus.

“As musicians, we have been craving this moment when we are able to perform live music together. We are excited to host next month’s camp, which will feature sessions in concert band, jazz and many other electives for participants. The camp is a great way to reconnect, be inspired and to get ready musically for the upcoming school year,” said Debra-Nicole Huber, UMass Lowell’s director of instrumental music outreach and associate director of university bands. “We also invite the public to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to hear these promising musicians celebrate their success at our free performance at the end of the week.”

Huber, the camp’s executive director and a UMass Lowell graduate, designed the camp’s curriculum to provide young musicians with a variety of educational and performance opportunities. Established by Mary Jo Leahey, a 1937 UMass Lowell graduate who was a beloved music teacher and philanthropist, the program welcomes more than 100 musicians from across the country each year.

UMass Lowell is a national research university offering its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu