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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Wilkes-Barre invasion of 115 band musicians from 28 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania playing an array of wind and percussion instruments?</p><p>It may sound like a proverbial &#8220;battle of the bands,&#8221; but the momentous return of the state&#8217;s Intercollegiate Band Festival to the Wyoming Valley is more preservation of an important music form than contest to see who&#8217;s best, Wilkes University Civic Band Director Phil Simon insists.</p><p>For starters, if they were selected to participate in <em>this</em> band March 8-10, they already have proven they are among the best.</p><p>&#8220;The students don&#8217;t audition in person, they are recommended by their directors,&#8221; Simon explained. Schools submit a list of recommendations ranked from highest down, and a selection committee of volunteer band directors picks those who get to attend. As an example, Simon noted Wilkes submitted 12 names this year and six were chosen.</p><p>&#8220;Nobody is going to be able to play as well as this band, other than bands from some of the biggest music schools in the state,&#8221; he boasted. About half of those who get into the annual band festival are music majors, and the rest are dedicated to playing for life even if not for a living.</p><p>When the participants arrive, they will be housed at Genetti Best Western Plus Hotel &amp; Conference Center for the weekend. While they got copies of the music to be showcased in a Sunday concert, they will still do some intense practice under the direction of Maj. Michelle Rakers, former assistant principal conductor for the legendary U.S. Marine Band.</p><p>&#8220;They start rehearsal at 1 p.m. Friday and rehearse until 9 p.m., then Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by a banquet,&#8221; Simon said. &#8220;The concert is at 2 p.m., and it&#8217;s free.&#8221;</p><p>Don&#8217;t come to the concert expecting to hear familiar tunes, either pop or classical, Simon noted.</p><p>&#8220;The music was all written for the concert band medium, or from transcriptions of orchestral music.&#8221;</p><p>Some may be more familiar than others, though. One piece on the menu is Antonin Dvorak&#8217;s &#8220;Carnival,&#8221; transcribed by turn-of-the-century cornetist and composer Herbert L. Clarke, and John Philip Sousa&#8217;s &#8220;Semper Fidelis,&#8221; the march of the United States Marine Corps. In fact, the March King wrote it while leader of the Marine Band.</p><p>But recognizing the music isn&#8217;t important, Simon insisted. </p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re doing our bit to perpetuate the heritage.</p><p>&#8220;It is a large number of musicians playing together on a very complex piece of music. There is a lot going on.&#8221;</p><p>So much so that those who attend are sure to find &#8220;the music doesn&#8217;t leave you. It&#8217;s pretty impressive stuff.&#8221;</p><p>This is the 72nd Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival, considered the oldest continuous collegiate band festival in the nation. It is the third time Wilkes is hosting; the first was in 1970 and last in 1988. Rehearsals and the concert are at Wilkes University&#8217;s Dorothy Dickson Darte Center at 239 S. River St.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Simon </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_simon.jpg</photo0><caption0>Simon </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Battle of the bands? No, just one of the best college concert bands in Pa.