The March to Indy

Six high school marching bands from the Evansville region will complete successful seasons on Nov. 9 at the Indiana State School Music Association state finals.

Southwest Indiana is represented in all four ISSMA classes at the state finals, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here’s a look at area bands who will vie for state championships.

Class D, Mater Dei High School

Under the direction of Allison Field, Mater Dei’s band has 65 members and will perform at 9:30 a.m. (all times listed here are Evansville time).

Pop music fans found much to love about Mater Dei’s show this year. It’s titled “In the Mix,” with pop favorites from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Selections include Fun’s “Some Nights,” Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, “Take on Me” from A-Ha, and Coldplay’s “Paradise.”

“This year, we wanted to change up our style and just perform a really fun show, and I think we achieved that,” Field says.

Mater Dei’s band has “an extraordinary group of upperclassmen that have led us to have a strong season,” Field says. “Their dedication, talent, and determination are our keys to success.”

Class B, North High School and F.J. Reitz High School

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. sent a pair of bands to the state finals this year. North will look to repeat as champions — in 2023, the Green Brigade became the first-ever EVSC band to capture a state title. North also took first place at the Bands of America Chattanooga Regional Finals last year.

Band director Noah Farmer, in his ninth year at the helm of the Green Brigade, is leading the 143-member band to the state finals for the eighth straight year.

They will take the field at 12:35 p.m. to perform a show based on abstract painter Gene Davis called “Along the Lines: The Art of Gene Davis.” The performance will include songs “The Great Tree” by John Powell, Kesha’s “Hate Me Harder,” “Novitango” by Astor Piazzolla, and “Spirit of the Wild” by Nigel Westlake.

“The show explores the creative process an artist takes while also reflecting on the struggles creatives face when presenting their works to the world,” Farmer says.

The band has put in 300 hours of work to produce the show.

“Competitive success is exciting, but this week is really about celebrating the excellence that our students have achieved through hard work and dedication to their program and craft,” says Farmer.

F.J. Reitz’s Mighty Marching Panthers take the Lucas Oil Stadium field at 1:35 p.m. with its 130 students. The marching band has made it to the state finals the past three years.

This year’s Marching Panthers performance is titled “Burn” and will feature songs from the Broadway musical Hamilton including “My Shot” and “Burn” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The performance also will include “Gom Jabbar” from Dune (2021) by Hans Zimmer, “Here Comes the Sun” by George Harrison, “Parkour” by Samuel R. Hazo, “Hummingbird” by Steven Bryant, “Coronation” from Stardust by Ilan Eshkeri, and original music by Jeff Chambers.

Class C, Boonville High School and Princeton Community High School

The Boonville Band of Gold, directed by Katie Armstrong, will take to the field first at 3:40 p.m. It’s Boonville’s first trip to the state finals since 2016.

The 71-member band’s show this year is titled “The Forest Awaits,” and it depicts opposing sides in the forest.

“Our large tree stump stage in the middle of the field helps portray the opposing sides in the forest,” Armstrong says. “Half of the stage has green vines and vibrant flowers, while the other side has black vines with thorns.”

The Band of Gold enjoyed a tremendous season, Armstrong says.

“In our program we prioritize integrity, mutual respect, pursuit of excellence, and collaboration as a team,” she says “This band is truly a family and works as one. This group works incredibly hard during our long season and puts in hours of hard work, sweat and tears. I could not be more impressed and proud of what this band has accomplished this year, and how above all, they have been kind to each other and accomplished this as a team.”

The Princeton Community Marching Tigers will perform “Let’s Play Cops and Robbers,” featuring a case of money being passed around among the performing students. The Marching Tigers, taking the field at 4:40 p.m., have made it to state finals four of the past five years after a 28-year drought.

“People now expect us to be there,” says band director Scott Salmond.

The band’s performance will include the song “Tank!” by the Seatbelts from Cowboy Bebop, plus songs from Pink Floyd and Thomas Newman. The band will first rehearse at Princeton Community High School at 8 a.m., then bus to Indianapolis, perform and await the results, and hit the road to return home by 11:30 p.m.

It’s a long day, but the reward is in the competition and the artistic expression.

“The students are busting it and making themselves better. They’ve been preparing since April,” Salmond says. “These are kids and we’re just glad to give them a space to let them be artistic.”

Class A, Castle High School

Castle is no stranger to the state finals — this year marks the Marching Knights’ 32nd appearance.

Castle’s 9:15 p.m. performance will be the last of the day. The Marching Knights’ 2024 show is titled “Neo-Noir” and is an exploration of the film noir genre.

“New for us this year, the band proper is dressed in show specific uniforms,” director Ethan Wilkinson says. “They are essentially long black trench coats meant to evoke movies like ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Blade Runner.’ These bold uniforms really enhance the look and feel of the show.”

Wilkinson says Castle’s band has exceeded expectations at every turn this season, and it won’t end at the state finals — the Marching Knights will return to Indianapolis Nov. 14-16 for the Bands of America Grand National Championships.

“We could not be more proud of our 252 marching band students for embracing change and really buying into the show,” Wilkinson says. “They are truly incredible musicians and performers.”