Date: May 8, 2025
Who: High school wind and percussion students
What to expect:
Why attend:
Nomination deadline: Coming soon!
Seating criteria:
Fair and equitable:
Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity! Nominate your students and be part of a memorable musical experience.
Dr. Joseph Higgins (he/him) is a conductor and educator who inspires creativity, curiosity, and understanding through art. A passionate advocate of socially and environmentally conscious programming, he teaches and performs music to encourage greater empathy and understanding among diverse performers, audiences, and their environments. In 2015, Higgins joined the faculty of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and literature.
During his tenure, the program has grown to include multiple directors, three concert ensembles, and the new “Pride of the Profs” Marching Band; student ensembles have premiered over forty new works and collaborated with many world-class artists, including contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird. For his exceptional leadership in the classroom, Higgins was awarded the Frances S. Johnson Innovative Teaching Award. He also received the Rowan University Values Award for Inclusivity in recognition of curating a “Music of Social Justice” performance series.
The Rowan University Wind Ensemble performed at the 2020 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Conference, and Rowan Bands are regularly invited to state and regional festivals and conferences. In addition to his work at Rowan University, Higgins serves as a guest conductor-clinician with outstanding professional, community, and student ensembles throughout the country. His current season includes collaborations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Delaware, as well as conducting the 2024 New Jersey All-State Band.
Captain David Regner - a native of West Orange, New Jersey - is a Flight Commander for The United States Air Force Band based in Washington DC. He is responsible to the band commander for oversight of equipping and training a 184-member unit to accomplish more than 1600 missions annually. Previously, Captain Regner was the Commander and Conductor of both the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band based in Langley AFB, Virginia and the USAF Heartland of America Band based in Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
David was commissioned in 2017 as a graduate of Officer Training School in Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Since then, he has led community engagement and public diplomacy missions through the east coast, Europe, and the Middle East. Prior to joining the Air Force, David served for four years as a high school band director at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville, New York. He earned his Master of Music degree in conducting at Northwestern University where he studied with Mallory Thompson and his Bachelor of Music degree in music education at Rutgers University where he studied with Darryl Bott.