SYRACUSE – Area high schools will be sending their marching bands to the Carrier Dome this Sunday to participate in the New York State Field Band Conference 45th Championship Show.
The Jamestown Red Raiders will perform in the Large School Class at 3:29 p.m. The marching band will offer a free performance of the show to the community on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Strider Field (weather permitting). The combine Falconer, Frewsburg Marching Band will also take the field.
The New York State Field Band Conference Championship show is the culmination of an eight-week season, which features over 60 bands in thirty-three regional competitions throughout the state. Band members, directors, staff members and boosters from each of the competing schools will have spent countless hours preparing for this prestigious event.
“This is a special year,” said Meghan Murray, JHS Marching Band Director. “The kids have worked extremely hard to prepare what many of us consider to be our best show in many years. Our students have reached a new level of performance. They are a mentally tough group who has proven they can handle the pressure of competition. I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish in their final performance of the season!”
Bands are divided into six different classifications based on school size and past competitive experience. Each marching band will perform a musical and visual show lasting about ten minutes for a panel of ten judges. The judges will score and rank each band within its class. Each band will receive a plaque and the highest scoring New York State band in each class will take home the coveted Governor’s Cup.
The bands in the championship show will represent nearly every region of the state along with two bands from Pennsylvania and one from New Jersey. During the day, there will also be exhibition performances by the University of Buffalo Thunder of The East Marching Band as well as the Syracuse University Marching Band.
Tickets for the New York State Field Band Conference Championships may be purchased on the day of the event at the Carrier Dome ticket booths. The admission price for adults is $19.00 and for students and seniors the price is $13.00. The tickets are good for the entire day of the competition.
Additional information about the New York State Field Band Conference Championship show, including exact performance times for each band, as well as results from the regular season contests and a history of the conference may be found by visiting their website at http://www.nysfbc.org .
