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CAROLINA BAND BLAST '26
Virginia Sommerville Sutton Theatre at Well-Spring
July 9-10-11, 2026
Each summer Gate City Horizons Band hosts a three-day event called Carolina Band Blast. No one seems to know when it started or how many there have been, but we believe this is the 17th Annual Carolina Band Blast.
Both a Jazz Band and Concert Band are formed and we finish with a public concert on Saturday July11th at 3 PM.
Attendees also have the option to take a half-hour private lesson with a professional musician and member of the Piedmont Wind Symphony. We have also designed a commemorative T-shirt for the event.
Members from New Horizons bands in several states participate in the Carolina Band Blast and have a terrific time playing and meeting new people. We welcome everyone and many come back every year.
For the third year in a row our venue for the event is the Virginia Sommerville Sutton Theatre at Well-Spring. It is a state-of-the-art performance facility with extraordinary acoustics.
Our conductors will be:
Host Conductor: Benjy Lee Springs, and Director of the Gate City Horizons Band
Guest Conductor: Dr. Dawn A. Price
Register by JUNE 15th. Due to size restrictions we are limited to 75 attendees.
Come Play With Us!
Event Details
Dr. Dawn A. Price
scroll down for biography
Music
The Concert Program will be chosen from the following music.
Music will arrive by May 1, 2026 via email for printing.
CONCERT BAND
Conductor Benjy Springs
American Folk Song Trilogy - Smith/Earp
Radiance - Rob Rameyn
Fanfare Cincinatus - David Shaffer
Alladin - arr. Paul Jennings
How to Train Your Dragon - arr. Sean O'Laughlin
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood - arr. Paul Murth-
Guest Conductor Dr. Dawn A. Price
A Slavic Farewell - Vasilij Agapkin
Zia! Zia! - by Claude T. Smith
Converse Fantasy - William G. Harbinson
With Quiet Courage - Larry Daehn
Shackleford Banks - Jay Bocook
Blessed Are They - Brahms/arr. Buehlman
Castles in Europe - James Reese Europe/arr Wilson
The Walking Frog - by Karl King/arr. Foster
JAZZ BAND
Conductor Benjy Springs
Music Coming Soon
Location
Virginia Sommerville Sutton Theatre at Well-Spring
4100 Wellspring Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410
Accommodations
visitgreensboronc.com
There are numerous hotels on Hwy 68 and off Hwy 840, minutes from Well-Spring.
Schedule
Thursday July 9
9-10 Check In
10-12 Concert Band Rehearsal
12-1 Lunch (provided)
1-2:30 Concert Band Rehearsal
2:30-2:50 Break
2:50-4:30 Concert Band Rehearsal
Friday July 10
9-10:30 Concert Band Rehearsal
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12 Concert Band Rehearsal
12-1 Lunch (provided)
1-3 Concert Band Rehearsal
3-3:20 Break
3:20-4:30 Concert Band Rehearsal
Saturday July 11
8-9 Check In
9-12 Jazz Band Rehearsal
12-1 Lunch (provided)
1-2:30 Concert Band Rehearsal
2:30-3 Break
3 Carolina Band Blast Public Concert with both bands
Registration Directions
You may complete the Registration Form online and press the SUBMIT button below. Then mail your check to the address below.
OR you may MAIL the following information along with your check to the address below.
Full name, full address, e-mail, phone, instruments you need music for, level you would like to play (1, 2, 3), if you are signing up for Concert, Jazz or both bands, if you are taking a private lesson and for what instrument, if you are buying a t-shirt and what size.
Please send your payment to arrive by June 15th to reserve your position in the band.
Concert or Concert & Jazz Band Participation - Registration Fee $125.00
Jazz Band Participation Only - Registration Fee $60.00
Private 1/2 Hour Lesson - $30
T-Shirt - S, M, L $25
XL, 2 XL and 3XL are $30.
CommemorativeT-Shirt
"RediscoverYour Inner Musician"
Concert or Concert & Jazz Band Participation
Registration Fee $125.00
Jazz Band Participation Only
Registration Fee $60.00
Private 1/2 Hour Lesson
$30.00
T-Shirts S, M, L $25.00
Size XL, 2XL, 3XL $30.00
If you are adding a private lesson or a T-shirt to your registration fee, make your check payable for the full amount including registration, T-shirt and lesson.
Besides mailing a check, use the BILLPAY feature on your checking account or send a registered check or money order.
Please make checks for full amount payable to:
Gate City Horizons Band
(Do not use the donate button on the website to pay for Band Blast)
Mail Checks to:
Gate City Horizons Band
6387 Walter Wright Road
Pleasant Garden, NC 27313
Questions:
Please contact:
Mike Lopp, GCHB President
jmichaellopp@gmail.com
336-784-8760
Dr. Dawn A. Price, Guest Conductor
Dr. Dawn A. Price, currently in her 28th year of teaching, is the Director of Bands at Jay M. Robinson Middle School. She was previously Professor of Music, Director of Bands and Coordinator of Music Education at Wingate University in North Carolina where she conducted the Wind Ensemble and the Bulldog Pep Band and taught courses in music education and conducting. Her college conducting career followed 9 years of teaching high school bands in NC, as well as serving as the Interim Director of the Appalachian State University Marching Mountaineers for one year. Dr. Price received both Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Music Education from Appalachian State University, where she studied conducting with William Gora and Jay Jackson, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she studied with Thomas Fraschillo and Steven Moser.
Dr. Price has served as an adjudicator and clinician for concert and marching festivals in North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. She has also been a guest conductor for several community bands including the Winston-Salem Community Band and the Hendersonville Community Band. She holds professional memberships in the National Association for Music Education, North Carolina Music Educators Association, National Band Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Kappa Kappa Psi. Dr. Price formerly served as the Dean of Cannon Music Camp, held each summer on the campus of Appalachian State University. She performs regularly on the trombone with the Union Symphony and Matthews Concert Band, as well as other regional groups.