Voting Opens March 1- March 15, 2026
(You will need your LMEA/NAfME membership number and expiration date to access the ballot.)
Division Chair Candidates
University Division Chair:
Victor Drescher joined the faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2013 as the Instructor of Clarinet. Prior to this appointment he served for five years as Assistant Director of Bands at East Ascension High School in Gonzales, LA. In 2011, Drescher was honored by LMEA with their Outstanding Young Music Teacher Award, and he currently serves as their University-Research chair. He holds his bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music education and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University. Drescher has also completed postgraduate work at the University of North Texas.
Mr. Drescher 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 is also 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.
University Division Chair:
Simon Holoweiko is the Associate Director of Bands at Louisiana State University, where he conducts the Symphonic Winds, teaches undergraduate conducting and graduate wind literature, guides doctoral students minoring in conducting, and directs The Golden Band from Tigerland. Holoweiko joined the faculty following successful appointments at Michigan State University and Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida.
After serving as Assistant Director of Bands at MSU, where his duties included Associate Director of the Spartan Marching Band, conductor of the Concert Band, Spartan Youth Wind Symphony, and teaching courses in the College of Music, Holoweiko completed his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University as a student of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. He also holds the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University where he studied with Dr. Jamie L. Nix and assisted with all aspects of the wind program.
Holoweiko taught in the Florida public schools as the Director of Bands at Martin County High School (Stuart). At Martin County, he coordinated all aspects of the band program including instruction of the marching band, two concert ensembles, and also founded a curricular jazz band and AP music theory course. He is also the conductor and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Summer Band Camp in Jensen Beach, FL and is an active clinician. He regularly presents clinics at state, national, and international conferences and most recently, the LSU Symphonic Winds performed as a featured ensemble at the 2024 College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Regional Conference.
He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University. Holoweiko is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and holds professional membership in the College Band Directors National Association and the National Association for Music Education.