Frank B. Wickes

Frank Wickes LSU Director of Bands Emeritus Died: April 27, 2020 Frank B. Wickes (Carruth Alumni Professor Emeritus) served as Director of Bands at Louisiana State University from 1980 to 2010. Wickes held the rank of full professor in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. He received degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of Michigan. In 1999 Wickes was honored at LSU with an endowed Alumni Professorship, and in 2000 received special recognition from the Chancellor for twenty years of distinguished dedication to LSU and his profession. In April of 1994 he was featured in the cover story of the Instrumentalist Magazine. Additional honors include the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Medal in 1996, the Phi Beta Mu National Bandmaster of the Year in 1998, the Presidency of the National Band Association (1988-1990), the Southern Division Presidency of CBDNA (1988-1990), and the Presidency of the American Bandmasters Association (1997-1998). In 2008 Wickes received the National Band Association's highest honor, the AWAPA (Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts) Award for excellence and exceptional service to the band profession. In November of 2009 he was elected to the Louisiana Music Educators Hall of Fame, and in February 2010 he was inducted into the National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors. In December of 2010 he received the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic Medal of Honor. Prior to his college teaching career, Wickes taught for fourteen years in the public schools of Delaware and Virginia. His Fort Hunt High School Band of Fairfax County, Virginia (1967-1973) was honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation with the Sudler Order of Merit as one of the nation's most outstanding high school programs for the decades 1960 -1980. From 1973 -1980 he served as Director of Bands at the University of Florida and in 1976 was named Teacher of the Year in The College of Fine Arts. At LSU Wickes conducted the Wind Ensemble and taught courses in graduate wind conducting and wind literature. He also served as Director of the Tiger Marching Band. In 1997 the Tiger Band was unanimously named the outstanding marching band of the SEC in a poll taken of the SEC Directors by the Northwest Arkansas Times Newspaper of Fayetteville, Arkansas; and in 2002 the LSU Tiger Band received the Sudler Trophy for a distinguished history of marching and performance excellence. In 2008 the Tiger Band won the "Battle of the Bands," a college marching band contest sponsored by ESPN, Lucasfilm and Paramount Pictures. In the fall of 2009 the Tiger Band was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Wickes is in constant demand as a clinician having served in that capacity throughout the United States, as well as in England, South America, Mexico, and Canada. He has conducted over 40 All-State bands and has appeared several times at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. The LSU Wind Ensemble has received many accolades from Directors nationwide for its artistic performances. Consequently, Wickes received the praise of many notable composers and conductors such as Morton Gould, Vincent Persichetti, Karel Husa, David Maslanka, Libby Larsen, Donald Grantham and Frederick Fennell. LMEA Hall of Fame Inducted November 21, 2009 Frank B. Wickes will retire from Louisiana State University afer thirty years as Director of Bands. He holds the rank of full professor in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. He received degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of Michigan. In 1999, Wickes was honored at LSU with an endowed Alumni Professorship, and in 2000 received special recognition from the Chancellor for twenty years of distinguished dedication to LSU and his profession. In April of 1994, he was featured in the cover story of Te Instrumentalist Magazine. Additional honors include the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Medal in 1996, the Phi Beta Mu National Bandmaster of the Year in 1998, the Presidency of the National Band Association (1988-1990), the Southern Division Presidency of CBDNA (1988-1990), and the Presidency of the American Bandmasters Association (1997-1998). Prior to his college teaching career, Wickes taught for fourteen years in the public schools of Delaware and Virginia. His Fort Hunt High School Band in Fairfax County, Virginia (1967-1973) was honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation with the Sudler Order of Merit as one of the nation’s most outstanding high school programs for the decades 1960-1980. From 1973-1980, he served as Director of Bands at the University of Florida and in 1976, he was named Teacher of the Year in the College of Fine Arts. At LSU, Wickes conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in graduate wind conducting and wind literature, and serves as Director of the Tiger Marching Band. In 1997, the Tiger Band was unanimously named the outstanding marching band of the Southeastern Conference in a poll taken of the SEC Directors by the Northwest Arkansas Times Newspaper of Fayetteville, Arkansas; and in 2002, the LSU Tiger Band received the Sudler Trophy for a distinguished history of marching and performance excellence. Wickes is in constant demand as a clinician, having served in that capacity throughout the United States, as well as in England, South America, Mexico and Canada. He has conducted thirty All-State bands and has appeared several times at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. As part of the 2009 Louisiana Music Education Conference in Baton Rouge, the induction ceremony is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21st, in the Premier Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.