The Oregon Marching Band has long provided the soundtrack and entertainment for Ducks football games, but each year the band gets its chance to shine in the spotlight.
On Saturday, the University will host the 23rd annual Festival of Bands, a high school marching band competition, with the Oregon Marching Band punctuating the performances. The Oregon band will perform Louis Armstrong’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” after the preliminary and final qualifying events.
The festival, at Autzen Stadium is run by band members and volunteers from the Oregon Wind Ensemble and Fighting Duck Alumni Band Association. It operates under the umbrella of the Northwest Marching Band Circuit and is the largest competition of the circuit, dwarfing the high-stakes championship event at Oregon State University. As many as 4,000 people are expected.
Carolyn Stock, festival coordinator and graduate teaching fellow at the School of Music, said she views the festival and band as a showcase for the musicians involved.
“They’re the ambassadors of this University,” she said.
The 32 marching bands in competition represent high schools from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. They will compete in four classes: A, AA, AAA and open. The eight judges are specialists in specific marching band aspects and hail from around the country. The judges will choose the top 15 bands for the finals.
Music vendors on hand will include Yamaha and locally owned Lights for Music, which will provide on-site instrument repair and maintenance. While there is a clear emphasis on the competition, Stock said the event should have more educational implications than competitive.
“I don’t want to put all the weight on who’s No. 1,” she said. “It’s a competition — but it’s about the kids.”
Considering the volume of both high school juniors and seniors, the festival also serves as a recruiting tool for both new band members and University students in the music school. Katie Moss, band council member in the OMB, said many high school students at the event will be placing themselves in a university environment for the first time.
“There’s a high level of excitement and energy for them,” she said.
Lee Wood, a fourth year veteran of the OMB, mentioned that because it’s the only fund-raising event of the year, it’s the single largest source of revenue for the band.
“I think of it mostly as a fundraiser, and secondly as a recruitment tool,” she said.
Organizers expect $30,000 to be raised. The only other source of revenue for the band are yellow duck “lips,” sold at football games and other locations.
Gates open for the event at 7:30 a.m., with preliminary rounds beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students (admission is free for children under 5) and will be available at the south gate of Autzen Stadium.
For residents of Salem, the competition will be televised on the public access station, CCTV. Stock is trying to get TV coverage for Eugene.