ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-159
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 5, 2023
To recognize and honor Howard University Professor and Kennedy Center Opera House
Musical Theatre Orchestra trumpeter Fred Irby III for 50 years of service in education at
Howard University, to commend him for leading award- winning undergraduate and
graduate students ensembles, and to celebrate his many musical achievements and awards as one of the best trumpeters in the world.
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III, native to Mobile, Alabama, attended Grambling State
University and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III be gan his tenure at Howard University after accepting a
position as Professor of Music in 1974;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III then became the Coordinator of Instrumental Music and
Director of the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, and in that role, facilitated and conducted
Howard University student ensembles in concerts throughout the United States, Romania,
Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, China, Japan, Senegal, West Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad,
Martinique, St. Thomas, and St. Croix;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III established the Benny Golson Jazz Master Award in 1996
to honor the legacy of master composer and saxophonist Benny Golson;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III was instrumental in establishing the endowed Abraham S.
Venable Scholarship for students in the Jazz Studies Program at Howard University;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III has served as the Music Director of the Maryland,
Oklahoma, and Northwest MENC All-State Honor Jazz Ensembles;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III is a well -respected and experienced musical jurist, and has
served as a adjudicator for Downbeat magazine competitions, the Student Music Awards, the
Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Foundation
Performing Arts Scholarship;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, Professor Irby III was awarded the Outstanding Creative Work, Outstanding
Teaching, and Outstanding Services Awards during the 2022 Inaugural Chadwick A. Boseman
College of Fine Arts Distinguished Faculty and Staff Awards;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III was designated a Lowell Mason Fellow by the National
Association for Music Education in 2009, received the Disney Performing Arts Award in 2009,
received the Ronnie Wells Jazz Service Award in 2016 by the Mid- Atlantic Jazz Festival,
received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 during the DC Jazz Festival Gala, and was
inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and
Grambling State University in 2016 and 2008 respectively;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III is the Principal Trumpet of the Kennedy Center Opera
House Musical Theater Orchestra, and has been commissioned to collaborate with and perform
works of renowned African-American composers including Ulysses S. Kay, Tromba, and
Frederick C. Tillis;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III served as the Musical Director for the Washington Ballet
in 2004 in Havana, Cuba;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III performed at the U.S. Embassy in Senegal to represent the
USA international St. Louis Jazz Festival, the largest Jazz Festival in Africa;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III has performed for the 87
th
, 88
th
, 89
th
, and 90
th
Academy
Awards, the 56
th
Primetime Emmy Awards, Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent, The
Gershwin Awards, and The Horatio Alger Awards, and many other prestigious events all over
the world;
WHEREAS, Professor Irby III dedicated his life to the practice of music and the
development of young musicians, inspiring students and listeners worldwide with passion,
dedication, talent, and creativity.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Professor Fred Irby III Recognition Resolution of 2023”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia heartily honors Professor Irby for his
many accomplishments and contributions to the District of Columbia, Howard University, and
the international arts community.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.