Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia chapter to host festival featuring middle, high school bands

2:23 p.m., April 24, 2013--The Xi Mu chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity at the University of Delaware, will host local middle and high school bands for the 2013 Sinfonia Concert Band Festival on Friday, April 26, from 3-8 p.m., in the Loudis Recital Hall of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building.

The festival, founded by fraternity brothers Cameron Miller and Andrew Tremblay in 2010, focuses on giving students the chance to perform for their peers from other schools and learning from world-class clinicians.

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John Bassett Moore Intermediate School, Newark Charter School, Seaford High School and Newark High School will perform in the festival. 

“This is a really good learning opportunity for students to finally get feedback from professionals other than their music director,” says Max Dabby, festival coordinator.

Chad R. Nicholson, director of the UD Wind Ensemble and conducting instructor, and Jim Ancona, assistant professor of music, assistant director of the University of Delaware Blue Hen Marching Band and director of the Pep Band, will serve as the festival’s clinicians. 

Each band will perform a prepared piece for the clinicians. After their performance, they will stay on stage and participate in a clinic with one of the clinicians, who will give them feedback. After the clinic, bands will practice sight-reading music in another room of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building. 

The bands do not compete against one another. Instead, a representative of the Xi Mu chapter said they hope that students will view this as a learning experience. There is no declared “winner” of the festival. 

The event is free and open to the public. Bands will arrive at 3 p.m. and performances will begin at 4. The UD Wind Ensemble will perform a “mini” concert at the conclusion of the event around 7 p.m.

For more information about the Sinfonia Concert Band Festival, visit the website. 

Photo by Jon Cox