La Lumiere Sophomore Named to All-State Honor Band

Theo Smith, a sophomore from Long Beach, Indiana, was selected to participate in the All-State Honor Band. The honor band is a part of 2021 Indiana Bandmasters Association’s Virtual All-State Bands.

"I'm so proud of what Theo has accomplished. Theo has worked hard to be the musician that he is and it's an immense honor that his talent has been recognized by the Indiana Bandmasters Association,” Dr. Yun, La Lumiere’s Music Director, said. 

Through participation in the performance groups at La Lumiere, Theo recognizes the impact this has had on his playing, “I'm used to playing in large ensembles, but at La Lumiere I play in a small jazz band. This has really stretched me as a musician, I have to pay extreme attention to my intonation and dynamics. Dr. Yun has really helped me as a musician and definitely put me outside of my comfort zone.”

Theo was selected as one of the four tubas to participate in the All-State Honor Band performance and will perform with students from around the state. All selected students will participate in virtual rehearsals and sectional sessions. For the performance, participants will record themselves playing and submit the videos to the association to be compiled into a performance video. 

For Theo, playing tuba was his start into the music world. “Before starting the tuba in 6th grade, I really never tried or played anything. Now I play a collection of different brass instruments, trumpet, trombone, euphonium and tuba,” Theo said. 

The performances will be led by three guest conductors: professor Jay Gephart from Purdue University, Col. Michael Colburn from Butler University, and Dr. Thomas Caneva from Ball State University. Each guest conductor will conduct one selection with each band. 

The premier of the performance video of the All-State Band is set for Sunday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. (CST). The premier will be presented on the Indiana Bandmasters Association’s YouTube Channel.