The 2024 Homecoming Concert at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will take place on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m., the day after the annual homecoming football game.
The theme for the performance this year will be ‘To the Stars,’ following the UL Lafayette general homecoming theme of ‘Starring the Ragin’ Cajuns.’
This will be the first year that the homecoming concert is taking place on a Sunday afternoon, as it is usually held on a Tuesday, but had to be moved due to United States election dates.
Around 40 students from the school of music will play pieces that follow various types of stars.
Two additional community members who are previous students at UL Lafayette will also perform.
The performance will consist of music from movies, including a well known John Wayne movie titled “The Cowboys,” music about astronomical stars such as meteors and shooting stars, an imaginary film score for a silent film and much more.
This event will be completely free for the entire campus, alumni and general public who want to come and watch.
Dr. William Hochkeppel, a professor in the school of music, says that he would “love for the entire campus to come and watch our contribution to homecoming week.”
The students who are performing in the concert practice twice a week for an hour and 15 minutes.
The actual show will be around the same amount of time.
Ricky Abshire is a senior music education major in the ensemble and says that the concert is a “great way to keep the homecoming spirits going even after the game.” This is his fourth year playing the saxophone for the School of Music at UL Lafayette.
Abshire says that his favorite piece that the ensemble will be playing in the concert is “Silver Screen.” This piece will be an imaginary film score played to a silent movie on a screen for the audience to watch. He says that this is his favorite because it “gives an image that everyone can make their own.”
Many students in the school of music play in as many as four or five various ensembles throughout the semester, such as the Cajun or blues bands.
At the beginning of next year, students will have the opportunity to watch the UL Lafayette Jazz Ensemble perform with Grammy award winners, The New York Voices.
This event will take place on Jan. 15, 2025, right after the semester begins.
The School of Music students that will be performing in this major event have already begun practicing, as this will be a very high-stakes performance for the ensemble and for the school itself.
The amount of dedication and effort that this ensemble is putting into the 2024 homecoming concert will be blatantly apparent to anyone who chooses to watch it.
Homecoming spirit and Ragin’ Cajun pride will be filling the seats, along with the hearts of the UL Lafayette ensemble.