Students in the College of Music and Media at Loyola University are back at the Freret Street Festival this month, performing with some of the biggest names in local music and learning the ropes of running a large-scale music festival.
The annual art, music and food festival, which will take place March 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., runs the length of Freret Street from Napoleon to Valmont avenues.
Loyola is returning as one of the festival’s sponsors, with students performing on and helping to run the free event, now in its 25th year.
Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph will headline the Valence Stage, which Loyola is again sponsoring, with special guest Nigel Hall. Joseph is well-known throughout the city for her vocal performances with Tank and the Bangas and Galactic. Hall is a Grammy winning keyboardist and vocalist, known for his work with Lettuce, The Warren Haynes Band, Jon Cleary, Soulive and The Nth Power.
A special guest horn section composed of current Loyola students will join Joseph and Hall on stage, adding to the excitement and providing the students with invaluable experience performing alongside seasoned professionals, said Mike Twillmann, who teaches Loyola’s “Festival Production” course.
The rest of the acts performing on the Valence stage are Loyola students as well, including Planet of the Little Green Men, The Kissing Disease, DIZZY!, Yung Senju, Abstract, Ja Fearce, Flow Mvny, Tuller, Kai De Lua, Joey Vesco and Lyle Hutchins.
“The Freret Street Festival offers our Loyola students an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in New Orleans’ vibrant cultural scene,” said Mike Twillmann, who teaches Loyola’s Festival Production course, in a press release. “This year, we’re especially excited about our dedicated Loyola stage, which not only showcases our students’ talents but also fosters unique collaborations with renowned artists. It’s a testament to the enriching experiences that arise from our community partnerships.”
Twillmann is responsible for securing the music for the popular, one-day event. In addition to serving as the Valence Stage’s performers, students handle booking the festival’s other on-stage performances, as well as back-of-house and festival production responsibilities, Twillmann said. In addition, Loyola’s student-run sound production team, NOLA Sound & Visuals, will be coordinating sound for the Valence Stage, he said.
“Watching what Mike Twillmann has been doing with his Festival Production class and his work producing the music at Freret Fest has been such a pleasure to be a part of the last few years,” said Jonathan McHugh, Hilton-Baldridge Eminent Scholar/Chair in Music Industry Studies. “Getting this hands-on experience performing on and helping to manage the Freret Fest stages is exactly what our students need to be successful when they graduate with a degree from Loyola.”
In addition to three live music stages, the festival will have 200 vendors offering food, collectibles, jewelry and art. About 20,000 adults and families typically attend Freret Fest, from 75 local and regional zip codes along the Gulf of Mexico.
