Victor M. Drescher is the Instructor of Clarinet in the Department of Music and Performing Arts. Prior to this appointment he was the Assistant Director of Bands at East Ascension High School where his bands earned superior concert awards for all five years of his tenure. In 2011, Drescher was honored by the LMEA with their “Outstanding Young Music Teacher Award.” He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Music Education and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University. He has also completed postgraduate work at the University of North Texas. His primary clarinet instructors were Steven Cohen, Dr. James Gillespie, Justin O’Dell, Ronald DeKant, and Dr. Mary Druhan.
A passionate educator, Mr. Drescher has been the University-Research chair for LMEA since 2018. He is a frequent adjudicator for District and All-State auditions as well as LMEA Large Ensemble Assessments across the state and is a member of the Louisiana Music Adjudicators’ Association. He enjoys giving clinics at high schools and universities across the south as well as serving as a guest clinician for honor bands.
Mr. Drescher is an active soloist, orchestral musician, chamber musician, and performing artist for Backun Musical Services. He has performed at several national and international conferences including multiple ICA ClarinetFests and the American Single Reed Summit. As a guest soloist, Drescher has appeared multiple times with the Southeastern Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and with the Louisiana Sinfonietta. He serves as principal clarinet of Opera Louisiane and the Louisiana Scoring Orchestra and has also performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony, Acadiana Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestras. He is a champion of new music and commissions works each year for clarinet, clarinet ensembles, and wind band. Mr. Drescher has performed as a soloist at venues as wide ranging as the Meyerson Center in Dallas, Carnegie Hall, and the House of Blues in New Orleans. He can be heard on the Centaur record label performing works of Dinos Constantinides as well as on recordings with the Louisiana Scoring Orchestra.
