Lassiter Orchestra Festival
Welcome to the first annual Lassiter Orchestra Festival!
The Lassiter High School Orchestra program is proud to announce their inaugural 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.
View the 2026 performance schedule!
Participating school orchestras:
Alpharetta High School Symphony Strings
Harrison High School Chamber Orchestra
Hillgrove High School Premier Orchestra
Kennesaw Mountain High School Sinfonia
Kennesaw Mountain High School Chamber Orchestra
Lassiter High School Concert Orchestra
Lassiter High School Philharmonia
Lassiter High School Sinfonia
Lassiter High School Chamber Orchestra
Milton High School Chamber Orchestra
Roswell High School Chamber Orchestra
Sprayberry High School Chamber Orchestra
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 festival registration is now closed, as we have met our capacity for this year.
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.
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2027 FESTIVAL WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE SPRING.
Please sign up if you would like to be notified of dates and more details!
The Experience
The Lassiter Orchestra Festival performance experience includes:
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- 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.
Adjudicator
Dr. Cathie Hudnall
Dr. Catherine Hudnall received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of music, her Master’s degree from Georgia State University, and her Doctoral degree from Mercer University. Currently, she is the Orchestra Director at North Gwinnett Middle School, and Artistic Director and conductor at Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. She was the teacher of the year at Norcross High School and received the American String Teachers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Hudnall is a regular conductor and clinician for honor ensembles throughout the country and has conducted All-State Orchestras in South Carolina, Mississippi, California, and Michigan. She served as an adjudicator for the National ASTA Orchestra Festival in 2019. Her students have been invited to perform for the Georgia State Music Educators conference in 1995, 2006, and 2009. She was a guest conductor of the Gwinnett Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004, 2006, and 2007, and she co-directed the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony for six years. In 2006, the Norcross High School Philharmonic Orchestra won the National Championship High School String Orchestra Award at the American String Teachers Association conference in Kansas City. Three of her ensembles have been selected to perform at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Hudnall is a member of the National Music Educators Association, the Conductors Guild, the Performing Arts Medical Association, and the American String Teachers Association. She served as state president of the Georgia ASTA chapter.
Dr. Hudnall studied cello with Hans Schmettau and Martha Gerschefski. As a professional cellist, she has performed with the Gwinnett Philharmonic Orchestra, the Georgia Women’s Symphony, the 1st International Cello Congress Choir, the Maui Symphony, the Florence Symphony, the Columbia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony, the Augusta Symphony, the Spartanburg Symphony, the Gainesville Symphony, and the Brevard Music Center Festival Orchestra. She is a member of the Candler String Quartet, is an active consultant and teacher of Healthy Musicianship, and teaches private cello lessons in her home.
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.