As the school year is coming to a close, it is a great time to reflect on the past year’s happenings. My first article as President of ABA talked about things returning to normal after the pandemic. I was convinced we had moved past the pandemic and were pushing back to the way we had always done things in the band world. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast!” However, as band directors always do, we made things happen in the face of adversity. It is easy to focus on all of the negatives of this past school year. There are so many positives that far outweigh the hard parts of our year. It makes how we ended the year even sweeter.

The All-State Festival 2022 was once again a successful musical experience for the band students in the state of Alabama. The event commenced with the All-State Solo Festival. It was a great display of the amazing student musicians in our state. The finalists were: John Peter Aufdemorte, Noah Bender, Harrison Ellis, Wei Wei Guo, Elias Loo, Jones Preg, Koen Pritchard, Julia Richards, and Yukino Shichinohe. Being a finalist for this prestigious event is a huge honor. The All-State Soloist Finalist winner for 2022 was bassoonist Elias Loo from Sparkman High School.

We kicked off Thursday’s events with a well-attended concert by the Albertville High School Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Taylor Cash. This outstanding group missed their opportunity to perform at AMEA due to the pandemic. I applaud the ABA board for allowing me to extend this invitation to these outstanding students. I especially enjoyed their rendition of Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium. The resonance of the ensemble in that performance venue was moving. The Friday night feature concert was performed by the University of South Alabama Wind Ensemble led by Dr. William Petersen. This concert, held in the beautiful Saenger Theater, was outstanding. The group featured two soloists, Drew Pritchard (BM in Music Performance, University of South Alabama) and their esteemed Assistant Professor of Clarinet, Dr. Kip Franklin. They closed their performance with a powerful rendition of the fourth movement of Respighi’s Pines of Rome.

We were very fortunate to have world-class clinicians at this year’s festival. The Middle School White Band was conducted by Tyler S. Grant. Tyler is a native of Alabama who is blossoming as a young composer. The Middle School Red Band was conducted by Robert Herrings from Henry Middle School in the Leander School District of Austin, Texas. His band was just accepted for a historic fourth time to perform at the Midwest Clinic. The Blue Band was conducted by Dr. Daniel Tembras from Purdue University Fort Wayne. His perfect combination of humor and musicianship led to a great performance by this ensemble. The White Band was conducted by another Alabama native, Dr. Jamie Nix, from Columbus State University. This group’s rendition of Arturo Marquez’s Danzon No. 2 was exciting and musical. Lastly, our Red Band was conducted by Steven Davis from the UMKC Conservatory. Their performance was spectacular! I was really moved by Omar Thomas’ Shenandoah and amazed by the Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bagpiper with so little rehearsal time.

The All-State Festival is a huge undertaking for the Alabama Bandmasters Association. The District VII band directors, led by chairman Meredyth Peterson, worked tirelessly to make this event successful. Another aspect of making our event run smoothly is the outstanding band hosts and percussion techs for each ensemble. Jon Bubbett and Kevin Ownby (Red), Damon McAllister and Doug Teuscher (White), Heather Henson and Alex White (Blue), David Caddell and Courtney Lankford (MS Red), and Connie and Tim Hammond and Josh Lynch (MS White) served in this capacity for us this year. Our clinicians were impressed with their organization, commitment, and professionalism during the entire experience with the Alabama Bandmasters Association. ABA Executive Officers Lori Hart, William Mixon, Terry Ownby, Ben Posey, Nick McDonald, and Executive Secretary Doug Farris worked together, along with our District Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen, to see to it that our students could count on a positive All- State experience. A special debt of gratitude is owed to our outgoing District Chairmen Gena Nix (II), Jerell Horton (IV), Jason Warnix (VI), and Justin Compton (VIII). There is no way the association can function without dedicated chairmen like these. It has been an honor to serve alongside you.

Lastly, the Summer Conference is moving to a new location this year. The Perdido Beach Resort has been recently renovated and has been very accommodating to our association. This event is also later in the month (June 29-30). Registration for the conference will open on May 1, 2022. Information about the Summer Conference can be found on our website: www.alaband.org. This is a great way to celebrate a successful year and kick off a new one. It is also one of the few times that directors have the opportunity to receive professional development while enjoying their families at the same time. The ocean, beach, and outstanding seafood are an added bonus! Hope to see you there!