Local Student Musicians Join MarchFourth Onstage for Eureka Theater’s 87th Birthday and Bring a Pixar Favorite to Life

This is a press release from the Eureka Theater:

For a group of student musicians from four Humboldt County schools, the Eureka Theater’s 87th birthday celebration on February 28 was more than a concert. It was a full-circle moment. Earlier that day, the students took part in an exclusive music clinic with MarchFourth, the Portland-based brass band known for its explosive energy, vibrant costumes, and eclectic blend of funk, jazz, and rock. That evening, they stepped onto the historic stage to perform alongside the band, helping bring to life a song they had grown up hearing: “Gospel,” MarchFourth’s track featured in the Pixar film *Monsters University*.

Students from Zane Middle School, Freshwater Middle School, Winship Middle School, and St. Bernard’s Academy stepped up to participate in the afternoon clinic at the Eureka Theater with the encouragement of their music directors. Opened in 1939 as a premier Art Deco cinema, the Eureka Theater has served as a cultural and community hub for Humboldt County for generations. Led by members of MarchFourth, the students learned the arrangement and prepared to join the band for the evening’s performance.

“The kids had grown up hearing ‘Gospel’ all their lives and got a chance to perform it,” said Daniel Lombard, MarchFourth’s tour manager and a trumpet player in the band. “That’s the kind of moment we live for. Many of us are music educators when we’re not on the road, so being able to connect with young musicians in this way and give them an experience like that is incredibly meaningful.”

The clinic and onstage collaboration are part of a broader initiative MarchFourth has developed over the years. The band has a history of offering educational outreach in the communities they visit, and they are now actively working to expand the program as they tour nationally. MarchFourth’s shows are known as moving carnivals, featuring not only a high-energy brass band but also stilt walkers, acrobats, and theatrical pageantry that turns concerts into epic celebrations.

“Nate Adams at the Eureka Theater brought up the idea of us giving a clinic to local band students, and we jumped at it,” Lombard added. “This is something we’ve done in the past, and we’re planning to keep building on it as we travel. There’s nothing like seeing young musicians light up when they realize they can do this too.”

The evening concert celebrated 87 years of the Eureka Theater as a community landmark. The venue welcomed back MarchFourth alongside Humboldt County’s own Object Heavy, a local soul and funk powerhouse known for electrifying live shows and deep-groove rhythms, for a night of music and carnival-style celebration.

For the students who took the stage, the night was a testament to the theater’s legacy and a glimpse of what is possible when professional artists invest in the next generation.