2023 All-American Alumni Concert Band & Jazz Band Featuring: Wycliff Gordon Concert at Fredrick Douglas High School Lexington, Kentucky Friday, June 2, 2023 Great American Brass Band Festival Danville, Kentucky AAAB Concert Band & Jazz Band Saturday, June 3, 2023 ABOUT THE BAND The All American Alumni Band is comprised of former members of the McDonald's All American High School band. In 1967, the McDonald’s All-American High School Band was created by Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s Restaurants, to honor two of the best high school musicians in each state, along with U.S. Territories Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands. From 1967-1992, 104 high school seniors assembled for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The McDonald’s All-American High School Band became a perennial favorite in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 25 years and appeared in the Tournament of Roses Parade (1969-1979, 1981-86, 1988-89), The Fiesta Bowl Parade (1982-83 and 1989), the Chicago Christmas Parade (1986-87), Carnegie Hall (1967-1992) with Lionel Hampton (1978-79) and Maynard Ferguson (1980), Chicago Orchestra Hall Concert (1977), and Avery Fisher Hall (1977). Other honors include an appearance on The Tonight Show (1977), recording with Doc Severinsen (1974-1975), and numerous features on The Today Show and The Jerry Lewis Telethon. Nationally recognized alumni of the Band include jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and arranger, composer and Broadway orchestrator Kim Scharnberg, among others. Scores of alumni band members maintain professional music careers and have shared the stage with artist greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Celine Dion, The Jersey Boys, and Reba McEntire and orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and more. Alumni band members have also gone on to serve as music educators and composers, and many alumni play in professional and/or civic ensembles, often in solo or principal positions. The Vision, Mission, and Initiatives of the Alumni Band are: Vision: To inspire and instill a love of music by celebrating our musical gifts. Mission: As alumni of the McDonald’s All-American High School Band, we seek to passionately foster and nurture the art of instrumental music through partnership, education and performance. Initiatives: Music for Life – Promoting the concept that the benefits of music last a lifetime. Music for Wellness – Enhancing health and quality of life by sharing our passion for music. Music for All – Creating avenues to make instrumental music accessible to all regardless of environment or opportunities. For more information please visit: www.allamericanalumniband.org