Festival draws top band members from the area

  Wednesday, May 1, 2013 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Approximately 200 of the best high school musicians from the area will be on the Pittsburg State University campus on Thursday, May 2, for the 30th annual Four-State Band Festival.

Festival Director Craig Fuchs said the students will perform throughout the day for two clinicians: Chris Bernotas, a high school band director and composer from New Jersey, and Tim Oliver, director of bands at Arkansas State University.

“The purpose is to provide outstanding band students from the region the opportunity to meet and interact with the composer who wrote the music they are playing and also to provide an honor band experience in which they will perform with other high achieving musicians from the area,” Fuchs said.

The festival will conclude with a free concert at 7 p.m. in Pittsburg’s Memorial Auditorium. The PSU Wind Ensemble will open the concert, followed by two honors bands.

Fuchs said the festival is also a good recruitment tool for PSU’s Department of Music.

“Many of our current students were members of the Four-State Band when they were in high school,” he said.