Monday, March 18, 2024

Connect with us:

Marian Catholic Marching Band captures State Class 3A title for 42nd time

Band heads to nationals this week

Information provided by Marian Catholic High School

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (November 7, 2022) – Marian Catholic High School’s marching band recently captured first place in their class at the Illinois State Marching Bands Championship competition. Held in late October at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, the band received the highest scores in Class 3A for music performance, visual performance, and effect, and remains undefeated in its class since 1980. Winning first in Class 3A earned the band an automatic berth in the final competition, where they placed fifth out of 15 bands across all classes in the finals.

Titled “Shadows of Things to Come,” the band’s 2022 winning show is a cautionary tale based loosely on Charles Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol. It features 145 students and showcases the music of Gustav Holst, Peter Graham, Patrick Doyle, Karel Husa, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

“There are many challenging pieces to our show and placing first in all three categories demonstrates that our students are dedicated, responsible, and consistently work seriously to put all the pieces together,” said Greg Bimm, Director of Bands and Chair of Marian Catholic’s Fine Arts Department. “But while winning is nice, it’s really not important. What’s important is that this competition puts Marian Catholic’s marching band in a place where we receive real honest evaluation from professionals. That brings a different level of responsibility and truthfulness to every person in the program, and it makes us want to be better.”

Bands of America National Championship

The next stop for Marian Catholic’s Marching Band will be at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. From November 10 – 12, the band will perform in the Bands of America Grand National Championship, the country’s premier high school marching band competition. More than 100 bands from high schools across the country will come together that weekend to compete for the top prizes.

“This competition is like coming home for me,” said Bimm, who’s led Marian Catholic’s marching band at this competition for more than 40 years, “But I love to see our students faces when they enter this huge stadium and envision their performance here. There’s nothing in the world quite like it.”

Marian Catholic has one of the most highly regarded marching band programs in the United States and has earned the first-place spot at the Illinois State Championships since 1980, a 42-year unprecedented winning streak. It has been named BOA’s Summer National Champion five times, a Class AA National Champion 23 times in 36 appearances; and a Grand National Champion seven times, a record unmatched by any other high school band in the country. It has also performed in two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and the 2000 Presidential Inauguration Parade.

Marian Catholic is located at 700 Ashland Avenue, Chicago Heights.

Josh Bootsma
Josh Bootsma
Josh is Managing Editor at The Lansing Journal and believes in the power and purpose of community news. He covers any local topics—from village government to theatre, from business openings to migratory birds.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Kudos to the Marion Band. That is an awesome record of achievements. I went there my freshman year before transferring to TF South. Lots of great memories.
    Bill Emerson

  2. Kudos to the Marion Band, that’s an awesome record of achievements. I went there my freshman year before transferring to TF South.

    Bill Emerson Sr.

Comments are closed.