Chicagoland band fest this Saturday
There are marching band festivals and jazz band competitions, but few contests target the core of any high school music program: its concert band.
For 10 years, Hersey High School has attempted to fill that void with its Chicagoland Concert Band Festival.
This year's fest takes place on Saturday at the Arlington Heights high school, featuring 20 middle and high school bands.
"The concert band is where fundamentals of playing and musicianship are taught," says Scott Casagrande, Hersey band director. "The jazz band and marching band just play better when the concert band in a school is mature."
Each band will perform its set - typically two or three pieces that demonstrate their strengths with different styles - before the audience and panel of college directors and music professionals.
Typically, band members wear their formal concert dress and approach the festival as one of their most important performances.
Many bands will perform the same repertoire they will bring to the Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival, May 8 at the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois.
After they perform Saturday, the musicians will have a 40-minute clinic with one of the professionals, before they return to the main gym to hear other bands perform.
"It's a great opportunity for our students to perform and receive feedback," says Chris Barnum, Prospect band director. "In fact, I enjoy the festival so much that we are bringing both our symphonic band and our concert band."
Prospect's symphonic band will play the overture to Leonard Bernstein's "Candide," before launching into a jazzy rendition of "Blue Shades" by Frank Ticheli. The concert band will play the emotional ballad, "Shenandoah" among its three pieces.
Lake Zurich High School's wind ensemble has been trying to ramp up its performance level, says Director Josh Thompson. He figured bringing them to the Hersey festival would expose them to other high level bands, and other music professionals.
"I want my kids to get a sense of what they could do with music at the next level, if they work hard enough now," Thompson says.
The Millikin University Wind Ensemble will play a special concert during the afternoon. And at the end of night, the 110-member Northshore Concert Band will play a special concert.
"We have always provided a university or professional ensemble to serve as role models for both students and their conductors," Casagrande adds, "but this being our 10th anniversary, we decided to spend some money and bring in one of the most prolific community bands in the country. It should be a spectacular concert."
Performance schedule Special performances3 p.m. Millikin University Wind Ensemble9:15 p.m. Northshore Concert BandCarter Gymnasium 1 p.m. John Hersey Concert/Cadet Band1:30 p.m. Plainfield South2 p.m. Maine South2:30 p.m. Naperville North3:40 p.m. Ratings given4 p.m. Carl Sandburg4:30 p.m. Elk Grove5 p.m. Wheeling5:30 p.m. Lake Zurich6 p.m. Glenbard North6:30 p.m. Rolling Meadows7:15 p.m. Joliet West7:45 p.m. Prospect8:15 p.m. Lockport8:45 p.m. John Hersey Symphonic Band9:55 p.m. Ratings given.Black Box Theatre 11 a.m. MacArthur Middle School11:50 a.m. Thomas Middle School12:40 p.m. River Trails Middle School1:30 p.m. Carl Sandburg3:40 p.m. Ratings given3:50 p.m. Plainfield South4:40 p.m. Joliet West5:30 p.m. Prospect6:20 p.m. Lockport7:10 p.m. Glenbard North8 p.m. Fenton9:55 p.m. Ratings given