Grasso Marching Band Festival Set For October 6

On Saturday, October 6, the 12th Annual Joseph P. Grasso Invitational Marching Band Competition will be held at Newtown High School. Nine field bands and color guards will compete before a panel of eight judges according to the rules and standards of the Musical Arts Conference (MAC), a non profit coalition of music educators.

Gates will open at 5 pm. The Star Spangled Banner is scheduled for 5:45 and the competition will begin at 6 pm. The cost is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students under 12. This is a rain or shine event. Food and refreshments will be available.

The festival features performances by high school bands from Shelton, Bethel, East Ramapo, N.J., Danbury, Masuk, Naugatuck, Jonathan Law, and New Milford. Guest bands compete for places and trophies.

The judges review each band’s performance in terms of musical and visual effectiveness on a 100-point scale. The Newtown High School Marching Band, reigning Class IV MAC Champions, will present an exhibition performance of their program, “Reflections,” featuring music by Richard Saucedo. At the festival, judges will score the Newtown band, but their scores will not be included in the competition.

The 2007-08 Marching Nighthawks fields 74 musicians and 15 color guard members, under the direction of Mr Eckhardt and his staff.

The festival was named in honor of the founder of the band program in the Newtown school district, Joseph Grasso. He taught in Newtown from 1960 until his retirement in 1992. His successors, Jack Zamary, James Dumas, and Kurt Eckhardt, continued to grow and develop the Newtown Band and Color Guard program.

“The Grasso Festival is a chance for marching bands from Connecticut and surrounding states to showcase their creative efforts,” said Mr Eckhardt. “The kids from every program work hard to put on a show filled with pageantry, energy, and good music. We are excited to host such a colorful, dynamic event! The NHS Band members can’t wait to showcase their spectacular program, ‘Reflections,’ for the home crowd.”

“To me, there is nothing more exciting than watching a marching band taking the field for competition,” said Newtown Band Parent Association President Steve Rambone. “You can experience this excitement firsthand by coming to The Grasso Festival.”

For more information, contact Bill Webb at 426-8186 or visit the MAC website at musicalartsconference.com.