Fourth Quarter Updates & Performances

Dear Cienega Band & Orchestra Families,

Happy Spring Break! I hope your musicians are all finding time to rest and relax these next two weeks after a long third quarter filled with performances. As we leave for break, I wanted to go ahead and answer a few questions regarding performances and dates for when we return for the end of the year.

Please note: I will be traveling during the first week of Spring Break and may not be as available to answer emails/Slack messages/general questions as I typically am.

2026 Arizona All-State Honor Band: This past Saturday, 13 Cienega High School band students auditioned for the All-State Band. This is the most students we have had take on this rigorous audition process since I have been at Cienega. Mr. Koenig, Mr. Morgan, and I are all very proud of them and their hard work. Congratulations to Michael Callis (trombone) on his successful audition into this year’s All-State Band! He will travel to Tempe in April to perform with the best high school musicians in the state under the baton of renowned composer: Brian Balmages.

Symphonic & Jazz State Festival Qualification:

One of the most important tasks the bands take on in the third quarter is their respective Area Festival performance evaluations. Ensembles that receive a rating of Excellent or higher at Area performances qualify for the Arizona State Festival performance evaluation in April.

Symphonic Band performed their Area festival performance at Catalina Foothills High School this past Thursday and received the highest possible rating: Superior with Distinction! We do not have a performance time for their state evaluation yet, but the band will travel to The Chandler Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 30, 2026 to perform for State judges.

Navy Blues Jazz were invited to perform at an elevated opportunity this year rather than their normal Area Jazz Festival. The Navy Blues traveled to Northern Arizona University to compete in the annual NAU Jazz Festival. This festival showcases the best high school and middle school jazz ensembles in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. After receiving a rating of Excellent with Recognition, the Jazz Ensemble has qualified for the 2026 Arizona State Jazz Festival. Registration for that event opens later this week and I will update with a performance date after registration is complete.

Concert Band/Orchestra Performance Evaluations:

The freshmen concert band and CHS Orchestra attend the Large Ensemble Evaluation Festival at Eastern Arizona College. This year, that event is on Wednesday, April 15th in Safford, AZ. This is typically an all-day trip with the students returning after the school day has ended. We will update once all EAC has assigned performance times.

Final Concerts for the 2026-27 School Year:

In the fourth quarter, we split the ensembles into two, separate concert nights. We will not decide which ensembles will perform on which specific concert nights until after all ensembles have received their performance date for their respective State Festivals. We do this to avoid accidentally scheduling a concert for a group on the same day they are scheduled for State evaluation. Please keep both of these dates in mind for end-of-year concerts: Monday, April 20th & Monday, April 28th.

Cienega Instrumental Music Banquet:

This year’s end-of-year banquet (Yes, we’re actually calling it a banquet now.) is Friday, May 1, 2026 at 6:00 pm. We use this as an opportunity to celebrate student successes, hand out our annual awards, and say our goodbyes to the senior class. All students within the program in anyway are invited to attend with their families. Please be on the lookout for more information on that night from our boosters. There are always opportunities to volunteer with set-up, tear-down, catering, etc. We hope to see you there!

Marching Band 2026:

We know everyone is anxiously awaiting information on Parent/Member Meeting, May’s Kick-Off Camp, and all other things marching band related. There are some new scheduling obstacles and a few behind-the-scenes pieces we’re trying to come to agreements on right now that are affecting the timeline for some of these meetings and events. I will share what is definitely on the calendar and a general timeframe for other annual events below:

• April Parent/New Member Meeting: TBD (pending state festivals and other changes) but expect it to be mid to late April on a weeknight.
• May Kick-Off Camp: Traditionally, we do this the Monday & Tuesday after school of the last week of the semester. After conversation with staff, students, and some parents, we’re trying to move that up a week so the camp does not conflict with finals week for current high school students. I will update when we have secured a facilities reservation either way.
• July Band Camp: July 13-17, 2026 (8 AM-5 PM); This is typically a week earlier in the summer, but because VUSD pushed the fall semester start date back by a week, we’re moving our dates too! We hope this gives families and students the extra time to enjoy their summer vacations that we’ve all been wanting!
• Competition Dates that we know so far:
  • September 26th- Bands Of America Flagstaff Regional
  • October 24th- AzMBA Southern Region Championships
  • October 31st- U of A Band Day (Halloween-themed this year)
  • November 14th- AzMBA State Championships