Frank
Wickes
Director of Bands
Frank B. Wickes (Carruth Alumni Professor and
Director of Bands). Frank B. Wickes has served
as Director of Bands at Louisiana State
University since 1980. Wickes 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 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).
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 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 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.
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 30
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 has
received the praise of many notable composers
and conductors such as Morton Gould, Vincent
Persichetti, Karel Husa, David Maslanka, Libby
Larsen, Donald Grantham, Jack Stamp, and
Frederick Fennell.
Frank Wickes, Alumni Professor
Department of Bands
School of Music
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2504