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2018 Marching Band Show Features Custom Arrangement

Mars Area High School Marching Band’s 2018-2019 Halftime Show is themed “Between Darkness and Light.”                                             

The show is based on “The Witch and The Saint,” a composition by Steven Reineke, conductor of The New York Pops Orchestra. The custom arrangement was provided for the school’s marching band with copyright permission directly from Reineke.

“The Witch and The Saint” is a folklore story about twin sisters living in a small German village during the late 1500s and with an over-arching theme of the battle of good versus evil. The show will include two distinct scenes — a lonely forest village and a cathedral with stained glass windows. 

Senior Camryn Reynolds designed the art for the marching bands show props as well as the 2018 Performance Season t-shirt (pictured).  

“We are bringing musical theatre to the marching band field,” says Mark Rodgers, band director. “(The show) provides a wonderful landscape to challenge our student performers.”

Senior Gracie Patrick will serve as drum major. This year’s show will feature the solo performances by seniors Sarah Grimm (clarinet), Jenna Halenda (flute), Camryn Reynolds (flugelhorn) and Jacob Smith (trombone).

This 95-member band will compete in various Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association (PIMBA) Class 3A events and will offer a number of additional performances this fall:

  • Saturday, Sept. 8 — Kiski Area Marching Band Competition @ Kiski Area High School (Vandergrift, Pa.)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 19 — Butler County Band Festival @ Butler Area Senior High School (Butler, Pa.)
  • Saturday, Sept. 22 — Gateway Marching Band Competition @ Gateway High School (Monroeville, Pa.)
  • Friday, Oct. 5 — Mars Area High School 2018 Homecoming Parade, 5 p.m. @ Downtown Mars
  • Saturday, Oct. 20 — Deer Lakes Marching Band Competition @ Deer Lakes High School (Russelton, Pa.)
  • Saturday, Oct. 27 — PIMBA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association) Championship at Moon Area High School (Moon Township, Pa.)

 For more information, call (724) 625-1581.