Eastview hosts marching band festival Sept. 11

Posted under Apple Valley,Eagan,Thisweekend on Wednesday 1 September 2010 at 3:40 pm

Courtney Mensink, front, and fellow Eastview marching band members (from left) Davis Arbogast, Elizabeth Wolf and Shaina Bullock rehearsed on Monday in preparation for the Eastview Marching Band Festival on Sept. 11. Photo by Andrew Miller

by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers

The spotlight will be on marching bands next week at Eastview High School.

Seventeen high school marching bands from Minnesota and Wisconsin will converge on Apple Valley on Saturday, Sept. 11, for the Eastview Marching Band Festival.

The event, which is held annually the first Saturday in September and is now in its 12th year, runs from 5 to 10:30 p.m. in the school’s stadium.

Schools will compete in three classes based on school size and experience of their band programs, and each band will have 15 minutes to perform.

Eastview’s 160-student band, directed by Rich Berggren, will debut its show for this season, “Every Dark Cloud,” featuring the music of composer Eric Whitacre.

“Every year, every school puts together one show for the entire year,” explained Bill Henry, Eastview’s music department director. “You’re always perfecting it, you’re always adding things to it, you’re always finding ways to make it a little bit different.”

Eastview and Rosemount High School are the District 196 representatives at the festival.

Like other schools that host marching band competitions, Eastview won’t be in the running for awards at the event, but will perform “Every Dark Cloud” simply as an exhibition. The idea is that the host school would have a “home-field advantage” in the judging, Henry said.

Admission to the Eastview Marching Band Festival are $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens. The event is open to the public.

Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.

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