NEW BEDFORD -- For the first time in five years, the music department of the New Bedford public schools will hold an all-city band festival.
First year director of fine arts Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou said music teachers asked for a revival of the concert after a successful choral festival earlier this year.
"There's a great group of teachers in this city," Ms. Quinlan-Zhou said, adding that it requires a lot of extra work for teachers. "You couldn't do a festival like this without the teachers."
The concert, to be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the New Bedford High School Auditorium, will feature 425 students from first grade through high school.
Three major components will make up the night. The High School component consists of the arching, concert and jazz bands. Middle School students make up the All-City Marching Band and concert and jazz bands. The elementary school all-city band will also perform four songs.
"It's going to be quite the concert," Ms. Quinlan-Zhou said. The program will mix and match the different types of music to keep things interesting.
"First, it will highlight all of the talent we have in the city. And it's also so young students can see what's coming up, and high school students can remember what it was like. So it brings the whole department full circle."
She said the response to the evening was "overwhelming," with many of the students very excited to have the opportunity to perform in public.
"It's probably the first time many of these students will be on stage," she said. "So it's going to be memorable."
Ms. Quinlan-Zhou promises an amazing concert, with eager performers and eager parents in the audience.
"You can expect to be very impressed with the level of musicianship," she said. "If you're a parent, you can be expect to be extremely proud."
While planning for and practicing for the big night, music teachers faced the real possibility that it would be the last one. Budget cuts threatened to decimate the department and instrumental instruction would have been eliminated. But the School Committee restored most of the funding.
"The School Department is under extreme pressure with all the budget cuts they have to make," she said. "The School Committee showed wonderful support for the arts. Everyone in the arts community is very appreciative."
The festival is expected to last approximately one hour. Tickets will be available at the door for $3.

This story appeared on Page A4 of The Standard-Times on May 9, 2005