MACON, Ga. – Four Townsend School of Music students have been selected among musicians from across the country for the 2025 Intercollegiate Band through the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). The students accepted were Lucas Meinberg (flute/piccolo), Cailey Martinez (oboe/English horn), Aaron Henderson (trumpet) and Michael Bloom (tuba).
The students will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2025 National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association, hosted by Bobby R. Francis and the Texas Christian University School of Music. The conference takes place March 26-29, and the performance will feature James E. Jackson III from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford as conductor.
Only highly qualified undergraduate music students are selected for this honor. Brittan Braddock, assistant professor and Mercer’s director of bands, first nominates top students to CBDNA for consideration, and then Intercollegiate Band candidates audition for their seat placement.
Lucas Meinberg won the piccolo spot and is playing in the first flute section. Cailey Martinez earned the English horn spot and is also playing second oboe parts. Meinberg and Martinez will both be featured as soloists in front of a national audience on the strength of their auditions. Aaron Henderson and Michael Bloom both also auditioned well and are in the middle of their respective sections, according to Braddock.
“Experiences like the Intercollegiate Band are inspiring to young musicians,” Braddock said. “I’m excited for our students to get a chance to travel, rehearse and perform. They will hear an incredible lineup of the best wind ensembles in the country. The students don’t realize how much their eyes and ears are going to be opened by this experience.”
