Delaware State University has named Sidney Sessoms, Jr. (Zeta Xi – Lincoln University – 2001) as its Director of Bands alongside Mr. Vincent Adkins as Assistant Director of Bands. Brother Sessoms is an alumnus of Delaware State – he completed his undergraduate education at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and earned a Master’s of Music Education from Salisbury State University.
After taking up a position as the interim Band Director at Del State in 1988, Sessoms has served as the Director of Bands at Lincoln University (MO), Clark Atlanta University, and Livingstone College, the latter of which he also served as interim Chair of the Music Department and Music Faculty. As a director, Sessoms has led the Clark Atlanta University percussion ensemble’s performance during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and led performances for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team.
When asked about the position, Brother Sessoms expressed he is looking forward to taking up the baton at an old Alma Mater. “I am excited about coming home to Del State,” he said.
The Approaching Storm Band – which dates its origins back to the first organized music at the then State College for Colored Students in 1902 – is a high-energy, entertaining collection of talented musicians and dancers. Delaware State band members have performed in London for the National Football League, have performed with legendary Motown groups The Temptations, The Spinners, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and is a coveted attraction at parades and celebrations throughout the state.
Congratulations and best of luck in this new position, Brother!
