Published August 6, 2025
CAPTION: The ULM Wind Ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 24, 2025.
The ensemble includes 44 students who were accompanied by four ULM music faculty members.
Photo Credit: Manhattan Concert Productions
MONROE, LA – The ULM Wind Ensemble recently performed at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York
City on June 24, 2025. The ULM Wind Ensemble was one of four featured performers in
the grand finale of Manhattan Concert Productions’ 2025 season, titled “Songs of Peace,
Hope, and Unity.”
“I’m so grateful that I got to experience this with our students and faculty,” said
Dr. Nicholas Bratcher, Director of the ULM School of Visual and Performing Arts and
Conductor of the ULM Wind Ensemble. “As a teacher, it’s a wonderful feeling, and honestly,
a goal, to see and hear the growth of your students,” added Bratcher, noting that
the Wind Ensemble received a standing ovation from each tier of the hall.
The ULM Wind Ensemble currently includes 44 students. In addition to Bratcher, ULM
music faculty members Dr. Allen Parrish (guest conductor), Dr. Scot Humes (guest soloist),
and Dr. Kathryn Irwin (percussion coordinator) also accompanied the students to New
York.
The seeds of the Wind Ensemble’s performance at Carnegie Hall were planted in November
2023 when Dr. Bratcher submitted a video audition following the ensemble’s fall concert.
After being accepted for the 2025 summer concert series, fundraising efforts began
to ensure that the students could make the trip to New York. Through a variety of
private donations and fundraisers hosted by the ULM Foundation, a total of $90,000
was raised. Because of the collaborative effort, students paid nothing out of pocket
for the trip.
Emma Babcock is an Instrumental Music Performance major from Pineville, La., and plays
saxophone in the ULM Wind Ensemble. “As a musician, this experience was a full-circle moment for me, fulfilling a special
dream—not just mine, but one shared by many of my colleagues. My favorite part was
the moment after we finished performing, seeing hundreds of people applauding us.
It made me realize that all the hours of practice, hard work, rehearsals, and school
that led me to this point were truly worth it,” said Babcock.
Christopher Bickley is a clarinet player in the ULM Wind Ensemble and an Instrumental
Music Performance major from West Monroe, La. “The experience of playing in Carnegie
Hall means that all the years I have poured into my instrument have truly paid off,
and that it was worth every second. My favorite part of getting to play at Carnegie
Hall was walking across the stage as a three-tier audience was cheering for me as
I took a bow,” said Bickley.
The Wind Ensemble performed a half-hour of music on the Carnegie Hall stage that included
three works. The first was Selections from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, guest conducted by Dr. Allen Parrish. The second work was a two-movement
piece titled Come Sunday by Omar Thomas. The closing piece was Scott McAllister’s Black Dog: A Solo Rhapsody for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, with featured soloist Dr. Scot Humes.
“Professionally, it’s always a great thing to perform on one of the biggest stages
in the world,” said Bratcher, with this being his second opportunity to conduct at
Carnegie Hall. “For my colleagues Dr. Parrish and Dr. Humes, it would mark their Carnegie
debut, and this performance wouldn’t have been possible without their work and efforts,”
he added.
Bratcher says the experience meant so much to him because of the impact he saw it
have on the students, stating that for many of them, New York was as far away from
Louisiana as they had ever been. Bratcher videoed the students’ initial reaction when
they walked into the hall for sound check, catching the awed expressions on their
faces. “For me, that was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip,” said Bratcher.
In their limited downtime in New York, the students got to take in some sights of
the city, including Times Square, and tickets to Chicago on Broadway, provided by the concert promoters.
Bratcher says the members of the ULM Wind Ensemble will continue to strive for new
heights in the coming year. “I feel like the baseline has been established, and I
always try to challenge them with pieces that push beyond the boundaries of traditional
wind band repertoire. The ULM Wind Ensemble is poised for great things in the future,
and I can’t wait for us to share those things with the campus and community,” said
Bratcher.
Click here to watch a video of the ULM Wind Ensemble’s performance at Carnegie Hall, courtesy
of Manhattan Concert Productions.
Click here to view a gallery of photos from the performance, courtesy of Manhattan Concert Productions.
(Enter password mcp2025 to view the gallery.)
For more information about the ULM School of Visual and Performing Arts, including
dates for upcoming performances, please visit ulm.edu/vapa.
