On Friday, March 27th, band students from Meigs, Eastern, Southern, and Wahama converged on the gymnasium of Southern High School. What followed was a packed 24 hours consisting of roughly 9 hours of rehearsal to prepare for a concert on Saturday, March 28th. You heard that right: 4 schools combining into one band to put together a concert containing 5 tunes in a single day’s worth of practice. It sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what they did. The concert began with an uplifting anthem, “Inspiration Fanfare,” by Adrian B. Sims, conducted by Southern Band Director Chad Dodson. The concert then took us to the ruins of an ancient city with a tune called “Chan Chan” by William Owens, conducted by Eastern Band Director David Funke. The most entertaining moment of the evening came when Wahama Band Director Olivia Connolly conducted Roland Barret’s epic masterpiece “Arabian Dances”, which found percussionists sprawling throughout the gym in an act of joyous revelry. Meigs Band Director Nick Michael took the stage next and masterfully guided the band through the most technically difficult moment of the night with a demanding tune by Nancy Seward entitled “Diversions”. The unquestionable highlight of the night came when Toney Dingess, former longtime Meigs Band Director, ascended the podium to conduct the band through one of the finest pieces ever composed for concert band, which was none other than Kentucky 1800 by the late, great Clare Grundman. Over 400 onlookers watched as the band thundered through every tune under the careful guidance of 5 incredibly skilled conductors, and the reaction was unanimous praise. The Big Bend Band is rapidly becoming a staple within the community, and next year’s event promises to up the stakes even more. It was a magical night for the musical community of the Big Bend area. We encourage all people to be on the lookout one year from now for the can’t-miss event of the year, which will, of course, be the Big Bend Band of 2027!