Bands converging Sept. 22 for Zips Invitational Marching Band Festival
The University of Akron Marching Band will join bands from 13 Ohio high schools to perform at the Akron Zips Invitational Marching Band Festival on Sept. 22.
The 3rd annual Akron Zips Invitational Marching Band Festival, hosted by The University of Akron School of Music, begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field on campus.
More than 1,100 students in 13 Ohio high school marching bands will compete to qualify for the State Marching Band Finals of the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) later this fall.
At a fast pace, bands will march onto the field every 15 minutes to perform a 7- to 11-minute show for evaluation by a panel of nine OMEA adjudicators. The University of Akron Marching Band will also perform.
Tickets at the door are $5. All seating is general admission.
Participating high schools:
- Amherst Steele High School (Lorain)
- Berne Union Local High School (Sugar Grove – south of Columbus)
- Cloverleaf High School (Lodi – south of Medina)
- Dublin Scioto High School (Dublin / Columbus)
- Elllet High School (Akron)
- Firestone High School (Akron)
- Hilliard Davidson High School (Hilliard / Columbus)
- Keystone High School (LaGrange – south of Lorain)
- Lexington High School (Lexington – Mansfield area)
- Marietta High School (Marietta – SE Ohio)
- New Philadelphia High School (New Philadelphia – south of Dover)
- Waterford High School (Waterford — near Marietta)
- Wellington High School (Wellington – Lorain County)
In addition to vying for the opportunity to qualify for the 2012 OMEA State Finals, the bands will compete for placement awards in each size class as well as "best in class" caption awards in the areas of music, percussion, general effect, marching and auxiliary units.
For additional information, contact William K. Guegold at 330-972-7951 or guegold@uakron.edu.
Media contact: Cyndee Snider, 330-972-5196 or cyndee@uakron.edu.