View Screen Reader-Friendly Version

Illinois State Concert Band Festival

April 24-25, 2026

Illinois State Concert Band Festival

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 AND SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2026

CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

EVENT PARKING Friday, April 24, 2026

  • Please be aware that, due to construction, the South University Street parking lot and garage is the closest availabile parking, 450 South University Street.
  • Visitor parking during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) is available on the first floor a pre-pay basis in the pay lot.
  • Visit the parking website for more information. 
  • After 7:00 p.m., FREE public parking is allowed in the student commuter (green) or faculty/staff (red) surface parking lots. During these times, no parking permit is needed for campus visitors in these lots. Look for the green and red parking signs at the entrance of the parking lots.

Saturday, April 25, 2026

  • Please be aware that, due to construction, the South University Street parking lot and garage is the closest availabile parking, 450 South University Street.
  • On the weekends, FREE public parking is allowed in the student commuter (green) or faculty/staff (red) surface parking lots. During these times, no parking permit is needed for campus visitors in these lots. Look for the green and red parking signs at the entrance of the parking lots.

A very special thank you to the following for their contributions and efforts in making the Illinois State Concert Band Festival possible:

  • Conn-Selmer
  • The Music Shoppe
  • Lydia Sheehan, Administrative Clerk
  • Wesley Anderson, Graduate Assistant
  • Madison Mueller-Howell, Graduate Assistant
  • Colby Powers, Graduate Assistant
  • Tim Schachtschneider, facilities manager
  • Dr. Adriana Ransom, Director of the School of Music
  • Tau Beta Sigma
  • Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Upcomcng ISU Ensemble Performances
ISU School of Music Website
Illinois State Summer Band Camps
Illinois State Summer Band Camps

Program - Friday, April 24, 2026

8:30 am - Urbana Middle School 8th Grade Band - Christi Fernsberg, director

  1. Dance Episodes - James Curnow
  2. Nebula - Randall Standridge
  3. Whale Warriors - Brian Balmages

9:00 am - Urbana High School Symphonic Band - Darren Hicks, director

  1. Armenian Rhapsody - Johnnie Vance
  2. Spring Will Come Again - Randall Standridge
  3. Argentum - Randall Standridge

9:30 am - Danville High School Wind Ensemble - Ryan Krapf, director

  1. Inglesina "Little English Girl" - Davide Delle Cese
  2. Lagan Love - Luigi Zaninelli
  3. Urban Light - James David

10:00 am - Rochelle Township High School Wind Symphony - Keaton Shumard, director

  1. Celebration - Randall Standridge
  2. Jinx - Ryan George

10:30 am - Urbana High School Wind Symphony - Darren Hicks, director

  1. Illumination - David Maslanka
  2. All the Pretty Little Horses - Traditional/arr. Andrew Boysen, Jr.
  3. Symphonic Dance #3 "Fiesta" - Clifton Williams

11:00 am - Field Middle School Wind Ensemble - Sherry Reiss, director

  1. Valley Vista March - Steve Hodges
  2. The Bonsai Tree - Julie Giroux
  3. The Curse of Tutankhamun - Michael Story

11:30 am - Batavia High School Wind Symphony - Chris Owen, director

  1. Gravitational Wave - Kento Ishikawa
  2. Armenian Dances - Alfred Reed

12:00 pm - LUNCH BREAK

12:30 pm - Thurgood Marshall Middle School Concert Band - George Espino, director

  1. The Wild One - Brian Balmages
  2. Takeda Lullaby - arr. Benjamin Yeo
  3. Riptides - Katahj Copley

1:00 pm - Richwoods High School Concert Band - Kylie Hankosky, director

  1. A Longford Legend, mvt. 3 "Killyburn Brae" - Robert Sheldon
  2. Urban Dances - Erik Morales

1:30 pm - Normal West High School Wind Ensemble - Ryan Budzinski, director

  1. Shepherd's Hey - Percy A. Grainger/arr. Loras Schissel
  2. One Life Beautiful - Julie Giroux
  3. Let Me Be Frank With You - John Mackey

2:00 pm - Lockport Township High School Symphonic Band - Anna Mudroch, director

  1. Ireland: of Legend and Lore - Robert W. Smith
  2. Arabian Dances - Brian Balmages

2:30 pm - IVC High School Wind Ensemble - Matt Chapman, director

  1. King Cotton - John Philip Sousa
  2. Amazing Grace - William Himes
  3. Gathering at the Ranks of Hebron - David Holsinger

3:00 pm - Richwoods High School Wind Ensemble - Chris Render, director

  1. Variations on a Korean Folk Song - John Barnes Chance
  2. Adoration - Florence Price/arr. Cheldon R. Williams
  3. Illumination - David Maslanka

3:30 pm - Homewood-Flossmoor High School Wind Ensemble - Kelly Cooper, director

  1. Sunbloom - Gavin Lendt
  2. How Sweet the Sound - Brian Balmages
  3. North South College All Stars March - Henry Fillmore/ed. Robert E. Foster

4:00 pm - Elgin High School Symphonic Band - Max Mollenkamp, director

  1. The Sounds of Spring - Shizuka Sato & Naoya Wada
  2. Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide Suite) - Leonard Bernstein/arr. Joseph Kreines
  3. Folk Dances - Dmitri Shostakovich/arr. James Curnow

4:30 pm - DINNER BREAK

5:00 pm - UIC College Prep Wind Ensemble - Justin Boyd, director

  1. Champion Fanfare - David Samuel
  2. Two Movements from Lincolnshire Posy - Percy A. Grainger/arr. Michael Ryan
  3. Pixels - Randall Standridge

5:30 pm - Homewood-Flossmoor High School Symphonic Band - Sarah Whitlock, director

  1. Mother Earth - David Maslanka
  2. Life Painting - Aaron Perrine
  3. Motherless Child - Benjamin Horne OR Mother of a Revolution - Omar Thomas

6:00 pm - Coal City High School Symphonic Band - Annie Ternes, director

  1. An American Elegy - Frank Ticheli
  2. The Witch and the Saint - Steven Reineke

6:30 pm - Niles North High School Concert Band - Ryan Burns, director

  1. Illumination - David Maslanka
  2. Yorkshire Ballad - James Barnes
  3. Fate of the Gods - Steven Reinecke

7:00 pm - Lemont High School Symphonic Band - Benjamin Clemons, director

  1. Shepherd's Hey - Percy A. Grainger
  2. Shadow Falls - Julie Giroux
  3. Chorale and Shaker Dance - John Zdechlik

7:30 pm - Lincoln-Way West High School Wind Ensemble - Cary Ruklic, director

  1. His Honor - Henry Fillmore/ed. Frederick Fennell
  2. Danzon No. 2 - Arturo Marquez/trans. Oliver Nickel

8:00 pm - Joliet West High School Symphonic Band - Eric Wellman, director

  1. Origin - Cain Nishimura
  2. With Love and Grace - Nicole Piunno
  3. Arabesque - Samuel Hazo.

Program - Saturday, April 25, 2026

8:30 am - Evans Junior High 6th Grade Band - Krista Beddigs, director

  1. Battle of the Samurai - Timothy Loest
  2. Affirmation - William Owens

9:00 am - Fisher High School Wind Ensemble - Abby Freymuth, director

  1. K2 - Julie Giroux
  2. Ayo - Katahj Copley

9:30 am - LaSalle-Peru Township High School Wind Ensemble - Jeremy Stevens, director

  1. Shenandoah - Omar Thomas
  2. Deciduous - Viet Cuong

10:00 am - Limestone Community High School Symphonic Band - Stevi Rzeszutko, director

  1. Through the Storm - JaRod Hall
  2. Song Without Words - Gustav Holst/arr. Michael Story
  3. Choose Joy - Randall Standridge

10:30 am - Saint Viator High School Symphonic Band - Anetta Fortner, director

  1. Cajun Folk Songs: Belle - Frank Ticheli
  2. Moscow 1941 - Brian Balmages
  3. Kaleidoscopic Dances - Josh Trentadue

11:00 am - Pontiac Township High School Symphonic Band - Kevin Valois, director

  1. Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo, mvt. 3 "Rondo" - Malcolm Arnold
  2. Adoration - Florence Price/arr. Cheldon Williams
  3. 1812 Overture - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/arr. Mark Williams

11:30 am - Limestone Community High School Wind Ensemble - Justin Bainter, director

  1. Branden's Rainbow - Andrew Boysen, Jr.
  2. First Suite in Eb - Gustav Holst

12:00 pm - LUNCH BREAK

12:30 pm - Wheaton Warrenville South High School Wind Ensemble - Hannah Drake, director

  1. Arabesque - Samuel Hazo
  2. Forward, Still - Omar Thomas
  3. Symphonic Dance No. 3 "Fiesta" - Clifton Williams

1:00 pm - McHenry Community High School Symphonic Band - Ryan Cabildo, director

  1. The New York Hippodrome - John Philip Sousa
  2. Beacon - Kimberly Archer
  3. Mambo - Leonard Bernstein/arr. Michael Sweeney

1:30 pm - Shepherd Middle School Concert Band - Martin Czernicki, director

  1. Paint the Sky - Emma Stumpf
  2. Halcyon Hearts - Katahj Copley
  3. Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons - Steven Reineke/arr. Matt Conaway

2:00 pm - Glenwood High School Wind Ensemble - Bill Mitchell, director

  1. Moby Dick - Michael Geisler
  2. Galop Festivo - Randall Standridge

2:30 pm - McHenry Community High School Wind Ensemble - Ryan Cabildo, director

  1. City Trees - Michael Markowski
  2. Deep River - Benjamin Horne
  3. Run to the Light - Ivan Trevino

3:00 pm pm - Eureka High School Concert Band - Jordan Profitt, director

  1. Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew - James Curnow
  2. Dusk - Steven Bryant
  3. Cut to the Chase! - Todd Stalter

3:30 pm - Galesburg High School Wind Symphony - Dena Baity, director

  1. Bookmarks from Japan: mvt. 1 "Fuji-San" - Julie Giroux
  2. An American Elegy - Frank Ticheli

4:00 pm - Bloomington High School Wind Symphony - Max Chernick, director

  1. Give Us This Day, Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble, mvt. 1 "Moderately Slow" - mvt. 2 "Very Fast" - David Maslanka

ADJUDICATORS

Chris Gleason

Chris Gleason is the Arts and Creativity Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He is the 2017 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, 2017 and 2022 semi-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award and the first Wisconsin teacher to be named a National Teacher of the Year finalist in 50 years. In 2022 he received the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence by the NEA Foundation and was selected as a Top 50 Finalist for the 2021 Global Teacher Prize, being selected from 8,000 nominations from 121 countries around the world. As a 2019 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow, Mr. Gleason traveled to South Africa to study the culture and education system.    In 2009 Mr. Gleason created the ComMission Possible Project, which has commissioned 17 new works for bands by renowned composers such as Viet Cuong, Kelijah Dunton, John Mackey, Alex Shapiro, Erika Svanoe,  Andrew Boysen Jr, Michael Markowski, among others. The project continues to expand, inviting schools nationwide to participate in the unique, interactive commission process. His work at the state level has led to the creation of the Wisconsin Creativity Summit and Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project, linking poets, composers, and arts educators in an annual collaborative creation.   He is the Executive Officer of Beyond The Notes Music Festival, Inc., which has to date inspired more than 55,000 young musicians and 140 future music educators. He is featured in the books: Think Like Socrates (Shanna Peeples, 2018) and Rehearsing the Middle School Band (Stephen Meyer, 2018). His 2019 TEDx Talk is entitled “Lighting A Fire In Kids: Three Insightful Teaching Truths”.  In his free time, he produces and participates in a below-average podcast called “Beyond ArtLess”.

Jason H. Nam

Jason H. Nam is an associate professor of music in bands at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he directs the Concert Band and teaches instrumental conducting, administration of school bands, and wind literature. He also serves as director of the IU Summer Music Clinic. Nam earned a Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting from the Jacobs School, studying with Stephen W. Pratt. He holds an M.M. in Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Redlands.   Previously, he lectured at California State University, San Bernardino, and directed school bands in Santa Barbara, California. Maintaining an active schedule as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician, Nam was a national finalist for The American Prize in Conducting in 2017 and 2023. Under his direction, the IU Concert Band performed at the 2020 CBDNA North Central Conference. He also served as resident music director of the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble (2016–2021), leading their invited performance at the 2020 Ohio Music Educators Conference. His research on the music of William Bolcom, Igor Stravinsky's wind chamber music, twentieth-century wind band repertoire, and effective rehearsal methodologies is published in the Journal of the National Band Association and the ABA’s Journal of Band Research. Nam serves on the NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest national selection committee. He holds memberships in CBDNA, NBA, IMEA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Mary K. Schneider

Mary K. Schneider is Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University where she conducts the EMU Wind Symphony, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting and music education, and oversees the comprehensive university bands program. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Schneider was on the faculty at the University of Minnesota and enjoyed a successful career as a secondary school instrumental music educator.   Active nationally and internationally as a guest conductor and clinician, Dr. Schneider’s recent engagements include conducting residencies with the wind ensembles at the Eastman School of Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music. She has served as an adjudicator for the Music For All National Concert Band Festival, Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival, the Thailand International Wind Symphony Competition, and the Victorian School Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to teaching at conducting workshops stateside, Schneider has been the featured instructor of the ABODA Conducting Symposium in New South Wales, and the Deisis Academy of Conducting in Spain. She is frequently an invited conductor of regional and all-state honor bands throughout the United States.   A passionate advocate for new wind music, Dr. Schneider has participated in the commissioning and/or premiering of over three dozen works for the band, and her ensembles regularly collaborate with a wide range of composers. In addition to her contributions to the GIATeaching Music Through Performance in Band series, she has presented on wind band repertoire at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and is frequently invited to lecture on the music of celebrated American composer John Corigliano, particularly his Symphony No. 3 for large wind ensemble, Circus Maximus.   Schneider is an elected member and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Bandmasters Association and the National Band Association. In 2027, she will make history as the first woman to serve as President of the College Band Directors National Association. Schneider holds a terminal degree in conducting from the University of Texas at Austin, and degrees in horn performance and music education from the New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of Connecticut, having graduated with Distinction in Performance honors from the former.

Randy Sundell

Randy Sundell is a distinguished music educator and conductor with more than three decades of experience in Illinois. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Northwestern University and began his career as Director of Bands at Oak Grove School District #68 before serving as Associate Director of Bands at Libertyville High School. In 1999, he became the founding Director of Bands at Vernon Hills High School (VHHS), where he led a comprehensive and highly regarded music program. At VHHS, he directed multiple ensembles, taught Advanced Placement Music Theory, and assisted with the Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership, the Wind Ensemble earned consistent statewide and national recognition, including annual selections to perform at the Illinois Superstate Festival since 2003 and multiple Honor Band distinctions.   Sundell remains an active performer and conductor, playing bassoon with the woodwind quintet Winds Off The Lake and serving as Associate Conductor of the North Suburban Wind Ensemble. His contributions to music education have been recognized with honors such as the Quinlan and Fabish Chicagoland Music Educators Award, the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award, and he is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association. He maintains active involvement in numerous professional organizations and is a sought-after judge and clinician in the Chicago area.

Brayer Teague

Brayer Teague is the retired Chairperson for Fine Arts at Downers Grove (IL) North High School, where he taught music for 30 years. He currently serves on the faculty of Elmhurst University as an Adjunct Professor of Music and conductor of the Symphonic Band. A Top-10 Finalist for the National GRAMMY Music Educator Award, Teague is a National Board Certified Teacher, received the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award, and was honored by the Illinois Music Education Association with the Distinguished Service Award following his term as President. Teague was named the 2023 recipient of the John P. Paynter Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Music Education.   Teague holds music degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan. He taught for three years in Highland Park, Illinois before serving the music faculty of Downers Grove North High School for thirty years (1993-2023). Throughout his career Teague has been an advocate for expanding musical experiences beyond the walls of traditional classrooms. In addition to a bi-annual music and cultural exchange he coordinated with the Musikschule of Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, Teague led twenty-five student music tours to Austria, Canada, Czechia, England, France, Ireland, Italy and a host of cities in the United States.

Benjamin Stiers

Ben Stiers is Assistant Instructional Professor at Illinois State University, where teaches applied percussion, co-directs the ISU Percussion Ensemble, and teaches music theory. He has also served as assistant director and acting director of the ISU Big Red Marching Machine, instructor and arranger for the ISU PULSE Drumline, and director of the ISU Pep Band. Prior to his time at ISU, Ben served as Instructor of Percussion at Centre College in Danville, KY.   Ben earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Kentucky, where he also received a certificate in music theory pedagogy. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois State University.  His teachers include James B. Campbell, Paul Deatherage, John Willmarth, Dean Gronemeier, Timothy Jones, David Collier, and Tom Marko.   Ben performs frequently with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Heartland Festival Orchestra, as well as in numerous chamber and solo settings. His performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the ISU Wind Symphony can be heard on the Naxos Records recording Point Blank. From 2015-2019 he served on the inaugural editorial team of the PAS Educators’ Companion, a publication of the Percussive Arts Society focused on providing percussion-related information to non-percussionist music educators. A frequent adjudicator and clinician, Ben is an artist-endorser for Innovative Percussion, Inc., Grover Pro Percussion, and SABIAN cymbals.

Master of Ceremonies

Mr. Tom Merrill

With 25 years of experience as a travel planner and festival organizer and 10 years as a high school music educator in Iowa and Colorado, Tom Merrill possesses a view of performance travel from multiple perspectives. While a band director, his ensembles performed in Washington, D.C. and the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando. He has planned travel for groups participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade, numerous Bands of America championships, and performances at Carnegie Hall. He is currently a Travel Consultant for Bob Rogers Travel, and has previously held positions at Festivals of Music, Manhattan Concert Productions, and New Horizons Tour and Travel.   He has a Masters in Conducting and Clarinet Performance from Illinois State University (where he was a graduate assistant in the Band Department), a Bachelor of Music Education degree from South Dakota State University, and has remained an active musician throughout his adult life in church choirs and community wind ensembles. He is a contributing writer to both School Band & Orchestra and Choral Director (now called SBO+) magazines.   He has presented at the Midwest Clinic and multiple state music conferences and shares his insights on the life-changing effects of performance travel with college music education students several times per year. Tom and his wife Jennifer met at ISU where she was a flute performance and music education major, and they currently reside in Lake Villa, IL.

BANDS AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Big Red Marching Machine - The Illinois State University Marching Band, “The Big Red Marching Machine”, has a long and proud history. Since its inception with Professor Ed Livingston it has developed into an accomplished marching band performing at major events at home and abroad. Each year, the “Big Red” performs at home football games, exhibition performances around the state of Illinois, and at the State of Illinois High School Marching Band Championship. In addition, The Big Red has performed in events across the United States and Ireland including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. The Big Red represents almost every major on campus and welcomes all students. WE WANT YOU to be a part of it!

Pep Band - The Illinois State University Pep Band performs at all Redbird Volleyball and Basketball games and campus events year round. Membership is open to all Illinois State University students. Instrumentation includes all marching band woodwinds and brass, as well as drum set, electric bass, and optional guitar and synthesizer. Every year, members of the Pep Band travel (all expenses covered) to the Missouri Valley Conference tournaments and any NCAA or NIT post-season play. Be a part of championship men's and women's basketball and the thrilling college hoops environment of CEFCU Arena!

Wind Symphony - The Illinois State University Wind Symphony is the University’s premier wind band with a national and international reputation for exceptional artistic achievement. This select group of the finest instrumentalists at Illinois State University has been praised by audiences, composers, and critics. In addition to regular performances of standard and new works from the wind band literature on the Illinois State campus each year, the Wind Symphony records and tours regularly. The Wind Symphony has been a featured performing ensemble at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, the Illinois Music Educators Association Conference, the College Band Directors National Association Convention, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. The Wind Symphony is proud to have enjoyed close relationships with the finest composers writing for wind bands including David Maslanka, Karel Husa, Michael Colgrass, and many others.

Symphonic Winds - The Illinois State University Symphonic Winds is comprised of some of the most outstanding wind, brass, and percussion players from across campus. They perform highest quality wind band literature, presented on two or three concerts each semester, on and off campus. They enjoy collaborations with internationally renowned guest artists and composers.

Symphonic Band - The Illinois State University Symphonic Band is comprised of talented wind, brass, and percussion players from across campus. They perform quality band literature and present two concerts each semester.

University Band - The University Band is comprised of non-music majors and music majors gaining experience on a secondary instrument. This ensemble provides students the opportunity to continue playing while devoting the major portion of their time to other academic disciplines. This ensemble presents one concerts each semester. No membership audition is required.

THANK YOU - ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY WONSOOK KIM COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

  • Dr. Scott Ireland, dean
  • Sara Semonis, associate dean of research and planning
  • Janet Tulley, assistant dean of academic programs and student affairs
  • Nick Benson, manager, Center for the Performing Arts
  • Polly Bedford, director of development
  • Dr. Adriana Ransom, director, School of Music
  • Prof. Ann Haugo, director, School of Theater and Dance
  • Prof. Tyler Lotz, director, Wonsook Kim School of Art
  • Prof. Aaron Paolucci, director, Arts Technology Program
  • Dr. Colby Jennings, director, School of Creative Technologies
  • Prof. Kendra Paitz, director and chief curator, University Galleries
  • Stephanie Kohl Ringle, business communications associate
  • Eric Yeager, director, WKCFAIT

Illinois State University Department of Bands Faculty and Staff

Dr. Anthony C. Marinello III | Director of Bands

Dr. F. Mack Wood | Associate Director of Bands

Prof. Lauren Bobarsky | Assistant Director of Bands

Lydia Sheehan | Office Administrator

Wesley Anderson | Graduate Assistant

Madison Mueller-Howell | Graduate Assistant

Colby Powers | Graduate Assistant

ISU Bands

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Illinois State Concert Band Festival