Northshore Concert Band

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Northshore Concert Band is a 100-member adult symphonic band renowned for its musical excellence and community leadership in the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond. Founded in 1956 by the late John P. Paynter, NCB inspires audiences through exceptional performances and its commitment to music education. The Band performs 6-10 concerts annually, reaching over 10,000 people through a subscription series hosted at Northwestern University’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Loyola Academy’s McGrath Family Performing Arts Center, as well as educational outreach events at local schools and community venues. NCB has appeared at the Midwest Clinic 32 times, including its 2025 appearance, under the leadership of Mallory Thompson, Daniel Farris, John Paynter, and Donald Hunsberger. Northshore Concert Band has shared the stage with numerous internationally renowned guest artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Christopher Martin, Michael Martin, Doc Severinsen, Taimur Sullivan, William Warfield, Gail Williams, and musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra such as Dale Clevenger, Adolph “Bud” Herseth, Gene Pokorny, and John Bruce Yeh. The ensemble has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, including a 2012 tour of Switzerland and Germany with the Blasorchester Niederschopfheim. In 1987, the Northshore Concert Band was the inaugural recipient of the Sudler Silver Scroll from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, recognizing its exceptional contributions to community music. Dedicated to fostering a lifelong passion for music, the Band’s Lifetime of Music initiative invites middle school students to perform side-by-side with its musicians, encouraging young musicians to pursue music beyond their formal education. NCB has issued seven commercial albums and commissioned 11 new works, including Frank Ticheli’s "Nitro" (2006) and Jay Kennedy’s "Let Your Light Shine" (2025). The musicians of Northshore Concert Band come from across the Chicago area and represent a wide range of professions, from educators and business executives to attorneys and healthcare professionals. Many have performed with the ensemble for over two decades, united by their shared commitment to the Band’s mission of musical excellence and community Service.

Northshore Concert Band

Conductor's Bio

Mallory Thompson is emeritus director of bands, professor of music, and coordinator of the conducting program at Northwestern University, where she held the John W. Beattie Chair of Music. In 2003, she was named a Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence. During her tenure, as only the third person in the university’s history to hold the director of bands position, Thompson conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, taught undergraduate and graduate conducting, and administered all aspects of the band program. She recorded five albums with the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble for Summit Records, including landmark recordings of David Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4 and Carter Pann’s symphony for winds, “My Brother’s Brain.” Thompson led the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in performances at the College Band Directors National Association conventions in 2001 and 2017 and has earned praise from today’s leading composers including John Adams, Michael Colgrass, Jennifer Higdon, Karel Husa, Joel Puckett, Kevin Puts, and Adam Schoenberg. Thompson received her Bachelor of Music Education degree and Master of Music degree in conducting from Northwestern University, where she studied conducting with John P. Paynter and trumpet with Vincent Cichowicz. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Donald Hunsberger. Maintaining an active schedule as a guest conductor, conducting teacher, and guest lecturer throughout the United States and Canada, Thompson has had the privilege of teaching conducting to thousands of undergraduates, graduate students, and professional educators. She has served as conductor or clinician at numerous regional and national conventions, including College Band Directors National Association conventions, the Midwest Clinic, the Interlochen Arts Academy, state music conferences, and the Aspen Music Festival. She has had professional engagements as guest conductor with the United States Air Force Band, United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” United States Army Field Band, United States Coast Guard Band, United States Navy Band, West Point Band, Dallas Winds, Monarch Brass Ensemble, and Banda Sinfônica in Sao Pãulo, Brazil. In 2019, Dr. Thompson received the Medal of Honor from the Midwest Clinic in recognition of her service to music education and her lasting impact on the development and advancement of bands and orchestras worldwide. In 2024, she was further honored with the Midwest Clinic’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Her professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association and the American Bandmasters Association. Dr. Thompson is especially proud of her 58 graduate conducting students and the hundreds of Symphonic Wind Ensemble members with whom she has had the joy of making music at Northwestern. She treasures her relationship with the Wildcat Marching Band and is honored to preserve and grow Northwestern’s legacy.