Area marching bands to vie for state title
More than 40 of Illinois' top high school marching bands will take the field Saturday at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.
They will step off in what is billed as the State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band Championship and vie for what many consider to be the state title.
Bands will begin performing at 7 a.m. just to get them all in, on what is commonly referred to as "Band Day" on the campus. The competition concludes with Illinois State's Big Red Marching Machine performing their halftime routine in exhibition.
Several area bands will compete, including a combined Marmion Academy and Rosary High School marching band in the Class 2A; Mundelein and Wheaton Warrenville South high schools in Class 5A; and Naperville North, Naperville Central, Warren Township, Waubonsie Valley, Fremd, Downers Grove South and Lake Park, all in the Class 6A division.
Among area schools, Lake Park, of Roselle, enters as the favorite. The Lancers won last weekend's Lincoln Way Invitational in Frankfurt, and they have a rich tradition at Illinois State, where they have won their class 19 times and the overall Grand Championship 13 times since 1979.
"We look forward to competing at the highest level," says Mike Chiodo, Lake Park band director. "This show offers us the opportunity to compete with the best bands in our state."
Their dramatic show, "Clockwork," features music by Peter Graham called "Harrison's Dream." Originally commissioned by the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington D.C., it portrays a clock determining a ship's placement on the high seas. Consequently, it features fast-paced sections as well as melodic passages, and is highlighted by the playing of several small bells, commemorating the Eight Bell signal on board ship.
At Illinois State's competition, Lake Park is a perennial top place finisher, having finished second among large schools last year and third place overall.
Around the same number of high school bands competed last weekend at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, in the Illini Marching Band Festival. Prospect High School won its 25th consecutive Governor's Trophy, after taking first place in both the parade competition and field show.
The Marching Knights performed "Marching Metamorphosis," which features famous marches, Sousa to Tchaikovsky.
Its closest competitor, Hersey High School, took second in the field show, with its show that featured "The Choral Music of John Rutter."
If you go
State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band championships (42nd annual)
• When: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Hancock Stadium, on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.
• Cost: $15 for the entire day's activities or $10 just for daytime or evening events. Seniors: $10 for the day; $5 for daytime or evening session only. Children under 12 free.
• Details: www.ilstu.edu.