LEGEND Honoring a USM School of Music
On Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, former students, colleagues and classmates of Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo gathered to celebrate his legacy and impact on the band program at Southern Miss. Alumni and friends came together to ensure Fraschillo’s inspirational e orts will be remembered by naming the Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage inside the Mannoni Performing Arts Center on Southern Miss’ Hattiesburg Campus. While the stage is named in Fraschillo’s honor, all funds raised were directed toward establishing an endowed scholarship for band students at USM.
The fundraising e ort began in January 2022 and was completed in July, totaling more than $109.5 thousand from nearly 200 donors. Saturday’s event included the unveiling and dedication of the stage and welcomed project donors, School of Music alumni and USM band alumni.
Dr. David Gregory, a signi cant donor to the e ort and champion for this initiative, is a friend and colleague of Fraschillo’s who has kept in contact since their days as undergraduate students at Southern Miss. “It is so tting that Tom’s legacy of greatness be honored though the naming of this stage,” he said. “Much of his magni cent artistry was created and presented here.”
A native of Clarksdale, Miss., Fraschillo is a 1968 graduate of USM and served his alma mater as Director of Bands for 28 years. His Meridian High School Band was recognized nationally through an invitation to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago – an honor only two other bands from Mississippi had ever received at that time. While under
Fraschillo’s leadership, the USM band program became a national model for musical and artistic excellence and received acclaim throughout America and Europe. His scholarly and leadership talents brought international recognition to Southern Miss.
“As a giant in the profession of wind-band conducting, he has transformed the lives of Mississippi students through his work at the high school and collegiate levels,” said Dr. Colin McKenzie, director of the School of Music. “The naming of the stage in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center is a signi cant event in the history of our School. I am proud the legacy of both our School and Dr. Fraschillo are forever intertwined and will be showcased for all to see through the stage.”
During his career, he served as President of the Southern Division of the College Band Directors National Association, the President of the National Band Association, the President of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA), Executive Secretary of the ABA, was elected to the National Band Association's “Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors,” and is the 2022 recipient of the Phi Beta Mu “Outstanding Bandmaster Award.” A dominant factor in the role and direction of the band movement in America for nearly 50 years, Fraschillo's in uence will continue to guide teachers and students for generations to come.
“Southern Miss gave us a home… it gave us a career,” Fraschillo said. “From there, I could take the skills I honed into the world. My students are my proudest accomplishment as a professor at Southern Miss. I am eager to see future students bene t from this scholarship support and expand their musical talents.”
“My students are my proudest accomplishment.”