(Posted February 28, 2011)

HUNTINGDON, Pa-- Juniata College, celebrating this year the 75th anniversary of its band program, will host the 64th annual Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival from Friday, March 4 to Sunday, March 6. The celebration will culminate in a band concert at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, March 6 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Juniata is one of 20 colleges and universities participating in the festival. About 85 college musicians will take part in the festival, the oldest annual event of its kind in the United States. Hosting the festival is a great honor, says James Latten, associate professor of music and director of the Juniata instrumental music program. Previous festivals were held at West Chester University (2010, 2008), Allegheny College (2009), Lock Haven University (2007) and Carnegie Mellon University (2006).

Three Juniata students have been selected to participate in the festival and concert. Katelyn Hilands, a sophomore flutist from Johnstown, Pa.; Kelsey Walakovits, a senior clarinetist from Coplay, Pa.; and Claire Wayman, a junior flutist from Ontario, N.Y. will all play in the concert. Wayman also was selected for the 2011 National Intercollegiate Band festival, to be held in Seattle, Wash. March 22-26.

The intercollegiate band will be conducted by Mark Scatterday, director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble of the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music.

In addition to Juniata the following institutions will send musicians to Juniata: Allegheny College, Grove City College, Shippensburg University, Lycoming College, Geneva College, Clarion University, University of Scranton, Millersville University, Wilkes University, East Stroudsburg University, West Chester University, Carnegie Mellon University, Bloomsburg University, Marywood University, Westminster College, California University, Lock Haven University, Seton Hill University and Albright College.

The intercollegiate ensemble will perform an eclectic program of music ranging from classical to jazz.

The group, fittingly will open the concert with "The Star Spangled Banner," and "March: A Salute to PMEA," by A.D. Davenport. The next selection will be "National Emblem," written by E. E. Bagley.

"Lincolnshire Posy," a six-part music suite written by Percy Grainger, will serve as the musical centerpiece for the concert. The "Lincolnshire" suite will be followed by "Blue Shades," composed by famed marching band composer Frank Ticheli,

Three selections from the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich will be the final highlight of the concert. The compositions are "Folk Festival," "Polka," and "Galop," all transcribed by Donald Hunsberger, a former director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.