Festivals & Camps

The Winter Festival is a unique concert honor band festival for high school students. The festival is designed to give participants an outstanding and comprehensive playing experience. Festival participants are chosen through a recorded audition process. Students attending the festival are involved in a variety of musical experiences: an honor band; masterclasses with the Glenn Korff School of Music's talented applied wind and percussion faculty; and a large symphonic band that combines the festival honor band with the University Wind Ensemble.

All Winter Festival events will take place in Westbrook Music Building and Kimball Recital Hall.

The 2026 Winter Festival audition results will be sent to student applicants after December 11, 2025. The email message will be sent to the contact email that applicants provided to us on the application form. Please check your spam folder if a message does not appear in your inbox. Send an email to band@unl.edu and provide us with a non-school email addressif you have not received the results by December 16th (include your full name and instrument). Many school email accounts are blocked from receiving email from outside the school district.

If you have questions after reading this information thoroughly, please email the Band Office or call 402/472-2505.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES

The University is committed to providing appropriate accommodations to guests with disabilities. In order to ensure that appropriate arrangements can be made, guests with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations must contact the Band Office at 402-472-2505 at least three weeks prior to their scheduled arrival on campus. Westbrook Music Building is accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Spring Strings Honors Orchestra is offered at no cost to students who are invited or nominated. To nominate a student to participate, please contact Dr. Karen Becker: kbecker2@unl.edu

Student Registration Here (registration deadline is February 20, 2026): 

2026 Spring Strings Registration

Sopranos and altos enrolled in high school choral programs are invited to participate in the UNL Soprano-Alto Choral Festival on Monday, April 13, 2026 at Kimball Recital Hall (Lincoln, NE). Each year we celebrate the continuing tradition of the power and beauty of treble voices raised in song. 

There is no fee for participation. You have the option of only performing the three festival pieces or having your choir also perform two or three songs separately for the concert. 

Attire for the festival rehearsals is casual. If you have school spirit clothes to wear, that is highly encouraged. For the concert, please wear your regular concert attire.

The repertoire for the festival is listed below and may be ordered through any reputable sheet music retailer. The leadership of the University Chorale will be present with the choir for the majority of the day. Together, we hope to give your students a positive choral music experience!

Festival Finale Concert: The Festival Finale Concert is on Monday, April 13, 2026 in Kimball Recital Hall. The concert features the festival choir, participating high school treble choirs, the University Chorale and treble a cappella group Boots n Cats. Parents, teachers and friends are welcome to attend. There is no admission fee for the finale concert.

2026 Festival Repertoire:

Jubilate Deo (SSAA) Manolo Da Rold Alliance

I Carry Your Song in my Heart (SSAA) Evan Ramos Carl Fisher Publishing

I sing because I'm happy  (Three Part Treble or SSA) Rollo Dillworth Hal Leonard

Student Registration

Applications Due: March 1, 2026

Contact: Dr. Marci DeAmbrose