Dundee Middle School band to perform at Illinois State Music Conference

The Dundee Middle School eighth-grade symphonic band will perform at the Illinois Music Education Conference at 8:15 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30, in the Civic Center Theater in Peoria.

To achieve this recognition, the group prepared a recording in spring 2025 for evaluation by a select panel of concert band experts. The Dundee Middle School band is one of only two middle school groups from across the state selected to perform at the event.

IMEC is the premier conference and state-level performance venue for band, orchestra, and choral ensembles in the state of Illinois. Each year, many groups and thousands of individuals prepare auditions to perform at IMEC. This will be the first time in school history that a band ensemble from Dundee Middle School is selected to perform.

One unique characteristic of the Dundee Middle School eighth-grade symphonic band is the ensemble makeup. Most groups selected to perform at IMEC are auditioned. However, this band represents the diversity of the entire school, all who want to participate in band are welcomed in the ensemble.

The ensemble will perform works by Tielman Susato, Quincy Hilliard, Joni Greene, Aaron Perrine, and Nubia Jaime-Donjuan. The piece written by Joni Greene was specifically written from the band at this performance.

In preparation for the IMEC performance, the Dundee Middle School eighth-grade symphonic band will present a preview concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, in the Hampshire High School auditorium, 1600 Big Timber Road, Hampshire. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Michael Kasper, michael.kasper@d300.org.