WKU News

The Western Kentucky University Bands continues to celebrate 100 Years (1925-2025) with a series of two summer concerts in June with the Southern Kentucky Concert Band at WKU.  

On Thursday, June 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the Downing Student Union Auditorium (DSU) on the WKU Campus, the band will present their first concert of the 2025 series. The program will include a wide variety of musical styles from 1940’s swing tunes to marches by Sousa and the program will open with the theme from the hit movie, Superman.  WKU Director of Bands, Dr. Gary Schallert said of the concert, “This program includes something for everyone.  There is a toe-tapping polka number (yes really), a beautiful work written by Nashville composer, Jay Dawson, entitled, Land Between which was commissioned by the band directors of the District-1 Kentucky Music Educators Association; thus the title Land Between (the Lakes), a great compilation of 1940s swing charts masterfully arranged for concert band, and more.”

The second concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the DSU Auditorium. This program will celebrate the life and musical influences of Professor Joe Stites, a former conductor of the Southern Kentucky Concert Band and Professor of Music at WKU.  Professor Stites passed away on Saturday, March 1, 2025.  Several guest conductors will share the podium with Dr. Schallert including Joe’s brother, Tom Stites, a retired high school band director and music administrator the Owensboro School District, Joe’s son, Jim, a band director with the Lincoln County Schools, Joe’s life-long friend, Bowling Green Resident, Larry Long, and Dr. John Stroube, Executive Director of the Kentucky Music Educators Association. The program will feature some of Professor Stite’s favorite works for concert band performed by former students, friends, and colleagues of Stites.

Both concerts are FREE and open to the public and there is plenty of free parking close to the Downing Student Union.  Please join us for a fun evening of terrific music for concert band.  

The first band at the Western Kentucky Teachers College (WKTC) was formed in 1925, as a student organization and was led by student director, Joyce Felts. There were 18 members. By the next year, a faculty director, Franz J. Strahm, was employed, and the band had grown to 30 members. One Hundred years later, the internationally renowned WKU Band program serves over 400 students in multiple ensembles as well as the Bowling Green community with the Campus Community Band and the Southern Kentucky Concert Band. 

The Southern Kentucky Concert Band at WKU is a community band that was organized by former WKU Director of Bands, Dr. John Carmichael in the summer of 1994. The Summer Twilight Concert Series has occurred every year except in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the band from meeting that summer.   

For more information, please contact the WKU Department of Music at 270-745-4253.