The Western Illinois University School of Music will present the 51st annual Showcase of Bands Friday-Saturday, Feb. 23-24 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall.
The Showcase of Bands gives area high school musicians the opportunity to participate and learn from nationally-recognized wind band conductors and WIU's applied and conducting faculty.
Three high school bands have been invited to attend: Mehlville High School Concert Band, Tony Brown, director; Metamora Township High School Wind Ensemble, Zachary Hilligoss, director; and Normal West High School Wind Ensemble, Ryan Budzinski, director. An honor band, made up of high school student musicians from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, will also perform.
This year's Showcase of Bands will include the following guests: 2024 Honor Band Conductor Matthew McCutchin, director of Bands at University of South Florida; 2024 Showcase Band Conductor/Clinician, Alfred L. Watkins, Co-Founder, Conductor and Musical Director of the Cobb Wind Symphony, Marietta , GA and Lassiter High School Director of Bands, retired; and the 2024 Composer-in-Residence, Ryan George. The WIU Wind Ensemble, conducted by Matt Thomas, associate director of Bands, will perform Ryan George’s composition “Riff Raff” and the WIU Concert Band, conducted by Anneliese Land, instructor of WIU Music Education, will perform "Visionaries.”
The 2024 Showcase of Bands performances include:
• Friday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. – WIU Wind Ensemble (COFAC Recital Hall)
• Saturday, Feb. 24, 1 p.m. – Guest Showcase Bands (COFAC Recital Hall)
• Saturday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. – WIU Concert Band & Showcase Honor Band (COFAC Recital Hall)
All performances are open free for general seating. Friday’s 7:30pm concert and Saturday’s 4 p.m. concert will be live-streamed on the School of Music's YouTube channel and Facebook page
For more information, visit wiu.edu/cofac/bands/events/showcase_of_bands.php.
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