Lassiter Orchestra Festival
Welcome to the first annual Lassiter Orchestra Festival!
The Lassiter High School Orchestra program is proud to announce their first annual Fall Orchestra Festival. Bring your orchestra to perform in the incredible Lassiter Concert Hall and receive valuable feedback from two adjudicators and a clinic with our nationally-known invited clinician, Mr. Creston Herron!
This year’s festival will be held on Friday, October 16, 2026.
How To Register
The Lassiter Orchestra Festival is open to high school orchestras for 2026. Registrations will be accepted in the order in which they are received until the event has reached capacity.
The registration form will open on Wednesday, May 13 at 9:00 AM and will close when the event reaches capacity.
Accepted ensembles will receive an acceptance email – which will include confirmation of warm-up and performance times – and an invoice for the total participation fee. This fee covers the expenses of our clinician, facilities, equipment, and other technology. All proceeds beyond our expenses will benefit the Lassiter High School Orchestra Association.
The participation fee is $350.00 for each participating orchestra and total fee is due by Friday, September 6, 2026. Payment details will be included on the invoice. Payment can be made with a credit card (with no fees!) or by mailing a check.
The Experience
The Lassiter Orchestra Festival performance experience includes:
-
- Rehearsal and warm-up time in the Lassiter Orchestra Room
- Performance on stage in the beautiful Lassiter Concert Hall
- On-stage clinic with our nationally-recognized guest clinician, Mr. Creston Herron, immediately following performance.
- Written assessments of your ensemble by our guest clinician and another experienced adjudicator.
- Media package provided via a download link:
- High-quality stage audio recording
- Concert video recording
- Adjudicator audio commentary
- Conductor Cam video recording
- A framed performance certificate to hang in your classroom
In addition, your group can come early or stay after your performance to listen to other ensembles that will be performing.
Headliner Clinician
Creston Herron
Creston Herron is an internationally recognized conductor, educator, and artistic leader who currently serves as Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Kansas and a member of the distinguished faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp. With a growing reputation for artistic excellence and innovative leadership, Herron has emerged as one of the most sought-after conductors and music educators in the United States.
He prev
iously served as Director of Fine Arts for the Klein Independent School District in Texas and as conductor of the Campanile Orchestra at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. In addition, he has served as a cover conductor for the Kansas City Symphony.
A versatile collaborator, Herron has recently worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as violinist Blake Pouliot, trombonist Vincent Gardner, and double bassist Xavier Foley, to name a few. He has conducted All-State and honor orchestras in over 20 states, bringing musical inspiration to thousands of young artists across the country.
Under his leadership, the University of Kansas orchestral program has experienced unprecedented growth, expanding to three orchestras. The program recently completed a major international tour and is releasing its first professional album featuring newly commissioned works for string orchestra on the internationally recognized Post Haus label.
In high demand as an adjudicator and guest lecturer, Herron has presented at many of the country’s most prestigious institutions and conferences, including The Midwest Clinic, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the Moore School of Music at the University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, Texas Tech University, the American String Teachers Association, the League of American Orchestras, and the NAMM “Believe in Music” webinar series.
He is a past president of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association and currently serves on the advisory board for The Midwest Clinic, the artistic team of Perform America TX LLC, and the board of directors of the Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance.
Herron’s contributions to music education have earned him numerous awards, including the Marjorie Keller Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the Texas Chapter of ASTA, the Spec’s Charitable Award for Excellence in Music Education from the Houston Symphony, the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Member Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Kansas School of Music, and designation as a KU Docking Scholar by the University of Kansas.
Contact Us
The festival is being coordinated by the Lassiter Orchestra Director, Dr. Charles Laux.
Proceeds will benefit the Lassiter High School Orchestra Association.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the time slots available?
A: The first performance will be at 9:00 AM and the last performance will end at around 9:00 PM.
Q: Can I bring my middle school orchestra to this festival?
A: For 2026, we are asking that only high school orchestras apply
Q: How long is my performance slot?
A: Peformance slots are 45 minutes each and includes your on-stage, tuning, performance, and clinic.
Q: How long will I have to warm-up? Where will my warm-up be held?
A: Warm up time is approximately 45 minutes in the Lassiter Orchestra Room
Q: Are ratings provided?
A: No, just written and audio commentary from the two adjudicators.
Q: Can I bring more than one ensemble from my school?
A: We will accept particpation from one ensemble per school unless capacity has not been reached and additional slots are unfilled.