Princeton Community Band announces Lusher as new director

PRINCETON — After nine years of service, Jim Jones of Tiskilwa has decided to step down as director of the Princeton Community Band. Ann Lusher will assume the role of director, beginning with the summer 2017 season.

During his tenure, Jones built up the band’s stature by expanding its music library and pushing its members’ proficiency levels. He also developed the band’s outreach to include connections with Festival 56, the Bureau County Historical Society, the Logan Summer Band, and various soloists from around the area.

Jones’ crowning achievement was the commissioning of a work by well-known composer Robert Sheldon. Jones conducted the band in the world premiere performance of “The Red Covered Bridge” in 2013, and that piece has been a prominent feature of the band’s repertoire ever since.

Princeton resident Ann Lusher brings a wealth of experience to the position, having served as longtime director of school bands and choirs at Western and Bureau Valley high schools. She retired in 2015.

Lusher has played French horn with the Princeton Community Band since its inception in 2005. Among the other area groups she performs with are the Monarch Brass, IVCC Wind Ensemble, Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra and Festival 56.

Speaking on behalf of the band’s board of directors, Aaron Nelson said, “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jim for his service to the band. He turned a fledgling organization into a Sunday evening institution, with hundreds of people in attendance at every concert. His perpetual goal was to provide high-quality programs which included music that both challenged the musicians and appealed to the audiences. Mission accomplished.

“While we are sorry to see Jim go, we are excited to have Ann Lusher take over. She will bring her own perspective to the programming as well as provide continuity to the band’s traditions. We feel fortunate to have someone of her caliber on the podium.”

Jones commented, “I am delighted that my friend and longtime colleague Ann Lusher has been selected as the new conductor. The band is, indeed, in good hands.”

The band’s first performance under Lusher’s direction will take place on Sunday, June 4, and concerts will run through the end of July. All performances will be held at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. Its subsidiary ensemble — the Princeton Community Jazz Band — will perform in the fifth annual Princeton Jazz Festival under the direction of Brandon Stover. That concert will be held on April 29 at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

The Princeton Community Band is a 501(3)c not-for-profit organization made up of all-volunteer musicians. The band has performed free concerts for the public since 2005.