Band festival to welcome schools from across the state
(Seguin) – The Seguin Matador Band is preparing to host its largest marching festival. The high school band this Saturday will be welcoming 16 bands from across the state for its fifth annual marching contest at Matador Stadium.
Band Director Marc Telles says the bands represent a good portion of the state including those in the surrounding communities.
“For us in our band department, it’s a big fundraiser. We bring in groups from all over the area, Central Texas, down to South Texas, all the way towards Houston. It also brings funds to the community as well. We bring adjudicators in from the Austin, San Antonio area to provide feedback to all the groups including our own and so it gives us a couple of opportunities along with the fundraising, it provides us the opportunity to get feedback from fantastic adjudicators to help our program get better as we move forward towards UIL and UIL Area and things like that. It provides a service to a lot of other schools and we have such a beautiful facility here at Seguin High School with our stadium that we have and then just the high school itself. It’s such a beautiful facility to be able to host different groups, to bring them in and to get to perform in a high class facility,” said Telles.
High schools scheduled to perform include Flatonia, Schulenburg, Tom Moore, Luling, Nixon-Smiley, La Vernia, Canyon, Cedar Creek, San Marcos, Macarthur, Davis, Del Valle, Fredericksburg, Navarro, Shiner and Earl Warren.
Telles says the all day marching festival is estimated to bring in 8,000 people to Seguin and welcomes fans from the local community to also come out and cheer on the students.
“Come out and support not only the Matador Band but all these groups that work hard starting in the summer and they work to provide a show that is intriguing to audiences and they are coming all the way to Seguin and it gives them an opportunity to again, perform in our facility but also to be welcomed by our community, by our band students, by our band parents, “said Telles.
Opening ceremonies get underway at noon followed by the first performance by Flatonia at 12:15 p.m. The prelims format will run through 4:15 p.m. That will be followed at 6:45 p.m. with finals — featuring the top eight bands.
Seguin, as the host, will not compete but will still showcase its talent at 9:15 p.m. The awards program will follow at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Kids aged 5 and under are free. Spectator parking will be held on the visitors’ side of the stadium.