Nearly 1700 musicians participated in the Charlottesville High School Marching Knights  Cavalcade, an annual high school marching band competition, on Saturday, October 6 at the Charlottesville High School stadium.

The competition included 22 bands from high schools across Virginia for an afternoon of music and marching performances. A panel of judges evaluated the bands in each of five classes in music, marching, general effect, color guard, percussion and drum major. Awards were given to the top finishers in each division.

As host, the CHS Band did not compete, however, they performed their “Starry Nights” exhibition.  The performance featured evening sky-themed music (think “Moonlight Sonata” and “Twinkle Twinkle”) and visuals featuring Van Gogh’s famous painting. The band recently competed with this performance in the 2018 Hermitage Classic competition and placed 2nd out of 12 A/AA bands.

The Cavalcade competition has been a tradition in the Charlottesville music community for 30 years, starting under the direction of long-time band director and community member Vincent Tornello. The competition is highly regarded by Virginia bands not only for its top-notch musical and marching performances, but also for its beautiful setting in Charlottesville and the warm hospitality provided by the CHS Band community.