Bourgeois, a Louisiana native and Loyola University graduate, joined the Marine Corps in 1956 and started playing the French horn in “The President’s Own,” the oldest professional music organization in the country, in 1958.
He became the band’s leader in 1979 and served as the music adviser to the White House, directing the band and selecting the musical programs for four presidential inaugurations. By the time he retired in 1996, Bourgeois’s career had spanned nine presidential administrations, from Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton.
Bourgeois, a visiting professor at Loyola, and Brent Echols, Loyola’s Director of Bands, invite high school band directors to nominate two students each to participate in the Bourgeois Honor Band, which began in 1995, Echols said.
The day before the concert, which takes place each November, the students join a three-hour, collegiate-level rehearsal on the prepared music alongside the Wind Ensemble, led by Bourgeois and Echols. This year, 27 students performed in the Honor Band.
The day of the concert, students participate in another three-hour rehearsal that includes an hour of more individualized instruction on their instruments, as well as an opportunity to meet and work with our applied faculty members.
The Wind Ensemble performs during the first half of the concert, and the Honor Band joins the Wind Ensemble during the second half, Echols said.
