Photo by Haley Caldwell
Botetourt County high school marching bands have been hard at work since school released in May planning and preparing their marching programs for this year. Both James River and Lord Botetourt have put together extraordinary shows for this year.
The Marching Knights field show is titled “Unbreakable.” Their show explores the concepts of hope, resilience, and human connection. The music was written by Luke McMillan. The drill and color guard choreography were written by Botetourt County’s own Thomas Graham and Emilee Graham.
Photo by Robert Chaplin
The Marching Knights are under the direction of Robert Chaplin and Lori Wingo. The band started the competitive season at Glenvar’s Celtic Classic. The Marching Knights will be performing at the Cavalier Classic at Lord Botetourt High School on Saturday, October 19, and the Blue Ridge Festival of Bands on Saturday, October 26 at William Byrd High School.
The Marching Cavaliers field show is titled “Black Widows.” Their show features music by Blondie, Giuseppe Verdi, Annie Lennox, Amy Winehouse, and Iggy Azalea. The Cavaliers invite listeners into the Black Widow’s nest as they use music and drill to showcase one of nature’s deadliest spiders. The music was written by Michael Miller, Jason Palmer, and Cole Williams. Percussion arrangements were written by Will Newton and Michael Calamas. The drill was written by Chris Caldwell and color guard choreography was written by Emilee Graham.
The Marching Cavaliers are under the direction of Chris Caldwell, Assistant Director Jamie Lawson, Percussion Instructors Haley Caldwell and Riley Rothwell, Winds and Visual Instructor Maggie Meade, and Color Guard Instructors Emilee Graham and Sierra Noble.
The Cavaliers have performed at the Montgomery County Showcase Clinic and the Blue Ridge Fall Music Games hosted by Salem High School. The Cavaliers received Second Place Music, Third Place Guard, First Place General Effect, First Place Visual, First Place Percussion, and First Place Band in Class 3 at the Blue Ridge Fall Music Games. The Cavaliers performed at the George Wythe Band Festival on Saturday, October 12, and will perform at the Cavalier Classic at Lord Botetourt on Saturday, October 19, and the Wildcat Classic at Dan River High School on Saturday, October 26.
~ Submitted by Christopher Caldwell
