ABERDEEN — The 69th annual South Dakota All-State Band Concert will be held at the Johnson Fine Arts Center in Aberdeen on Saturday. Each year, the All-State Band brings together South Dakota’s most talented high school instrumental musicians and provides an opportunity for students to practice and perform under the direction of conductors who may be recognized around the world.
The students participating in the 2019 All-State Band were selected through statewide competitive auditions that were held at six sites during the month of January. The 2019 All-State Band is made up of 182 students from 40 high schools.
The members of the All-State Band have been divided into two equal bands, with each band being directed by its own guest conductor. The smaller bands have been named after two of the most prominent names from South Dakota history, Lewis and Clark. The Lewis Band will be directed by Dr. Courtney Snyder from the University of Michigan, and the Clark Band will be directed by Dr. Paul Popiel from the University of Kansas.
The Lewis Band will perform on Saturday beginning at 4 p.m., followed by the Clark Band. Ten minutes prior to the concert, special awards will be presented by the South Dakota Bandmasters Association, the South Dakota High School Activities Association, and the Phi Beta Mu honorary music group. Receiving the SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award for the furtherance of high school activities in South Dakota is Tobias Rath of Rapid City Central High School.
The doors to the concert will open at 2:30 p.m. All tickets for the All-State Concert are general admission.
