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Welcome to the 2026 Edition of the Celtic Classic Hosted by Your Glenvar High School Marching Highlanders
Welcome Letter from Director of Bands Mr. Nicholas Alford
Your 2026 Glenvar High School Marching Highlanders
Concessions Items and Prices
Tap on each band to jump to their section!!
William Byrd
October 3rd, 2026
Good day and welcome to the annual Celtic Classic here at Glenvar High School! We are extremely excited to have bands from all over the area and we hope you are excited as well. Today we have 11 bands in attendance and we are looking forward to a fantastic day of music!
All the bands here with us today have been working very hard since July to perfect their show to the best of their ability and every one of them have made tremendous progress leading up to today. In respect of all their hard work, we ask that you please show all participating bands respect and remain silent during each performance (with exceptions, cheering of course!) and support their on-field achievements. We seek to foster a positive atmosphere of support and good sportsmanship here on campus and hope you will carry on this tradition!
The Marching Highlanders and GHS Band Boosters are proud to be your hosts today at the Celtic Classic. If at any time you need assistance with anything, or just have any questions please do not hesitate to find one of our volunteers and reach out. Please take the time to review this program and take special note of all the performances we have lined up for today.
We thank you for your attendance and support today. As directors, we know that we could not possibly do our job without the support of the parents, drivers, and volunteers of all sorts who help make our jobs just a little bit easier. We sincerely hope that you enjoy today’s performances here at the Celtic Classic!
Best,
Nick Alford
Director of Bands, Glenvar
Schedule of Performances
National Anthem..............................................................................2:50 PM
Class A
Band Name
Band Name
Class Break
Class AA
Band Name
Band Name
Band Name
Class Break
Class AAA
Band Name
Band Name
Class AAAA
Band Name
Dinner Break
Class AAAAA
Band Name
Band Name
Exhibition
Glenvar Marching Highlanders.......................................................7:30 PM
Awards............................................................................................8:00 PM
Glenvar High School Marching Highlanders
Directed by Mr. Nicholas Alford
Performing their 2026 Field Show Entitled:
The Last Stand
Featuring Soloists:
Brooklyn Hemphill on Alto Saxophone, Israel Pennington on Tenor Saxophone, Ethan Clayton on Trumpet, and Allen Blakey on Clarinet
Staff Includes:
Mr. Stephen Chisum - Assistant Director and Color Guard Director
Mr. Matthew Homoroc - Percussion Instructor
Mr. Dakota McBride - Music/Visual Instructor
Ms. Keirstin Porter - Colorguard Instructor
Student Leadership:
Drum Major: Morgan Lawson
Field Commander: Brooklyn Hemphill
Clarinet Section Leader: Emily Tayloe
Saxophone Section Leader: Israel Pennington
Mellophone Section Leader: Roman Isbell
Trumpet Section Leader: Ethan Clayton
Baritone Section Leader: Ashton Honaker
Sousaphones and Low Reeds Section Leader: Ashton Peffer
Battery Captain: Anna Edwards
Front Ensemble Captain: Isaac Mullins
Band Quartermasters: Zeke Starkey and Colt Stewart
Color Guard Captains: Hadley Hartman, Sam Miller, Cheyanne Perkins, and Priya Patel
Color Guard Quartermasters: Mykena Aldridge, Bella Arnett, Wendy Lawson, and Lauren Smith
2026-2027 Seniors: Tenor Sax Israel Pennington, and Guard Members Mykena Aldridge, Bella Arnett, Sam Miller, Tristan Morgan, Cheyanne Perkins, and Priya Patel
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Judges for Today
General Effect:
Music:
Marching:
Color Guard: Bethany Hajny - AIA and WGI Certified Judge and Founding Member of Star City Independent Winter Guard
Percussion:
Drum Major (Clinician): Denise Aspell - William Byrd Middle School Band Director
The Hungry Highlander Concessions
Hot Dogs...........................................$3.00
Chili/Cheese Dogs.............................$4.00
Hamburger........................................$5.00
Cheeseburger....................................$6.00
Nachos with Cheese..........................$4.00
Chili Nachos.......................................$5.00
Fiesta Fritos.......................................$4.00
Popcorn.............................................$1.00
Pretzel...............................................$4.00
Side of Cheese..........................$0.50
Side of Chili...............................$1.00
Chips.................................................$1.00
Bottled Water....................................$2.00
Bottled Soft Drinks............................$3.00
Options: Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Diet Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Sprite
Gatorade...........................................$4.00
Coffee...............................................$2.00
Candy................................................$3.00
Options: M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, Reese's Cups, and Snickers
Cowtails.............................................$1.00
Popsicles...................................2 for $1.00
A big thank you to our sponsor Ace Hardware of Salem!!
Don't forget SWVA Photo will be getting great shots of all the bands in attendance today that can be purchased from his website.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped out with this event:
GHS Principal: Dr. Corie Franklin
GHS Assistant Principals: Ms. Tammy O'Dom and Mr. Jason Murray
GHS Athletic Director: Mr. Andy Clapper
GMS Principal: Mr. Tyler Brown
GMS Assistant Principal: Mr. Josh Blevins
Custodial Staff: Mr. Mike Blankenship
Announcers: Mr. Dale Bayless and Ms. Sarah Murray
Emergency services provided by AMR and The Roanoke County Police Department
The Countless Parents and Students representing the Glenvar Band Boosters
Marching Hawks
From Gretna High School
Under the Direction of Allison Shelton
Performing their 2026 Field Show Entitled:
A Sky Full of Stars
Musical Selections Include:
Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang A. Mozart, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, and A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Staff Includes:
Kylee Pickeral - Assistant Director
DaVyon Christian - Percussion
Justin Sparrow - Percussion
Zachariah Barnes Sr. - Color Guard
Student Leadership:
Riley Roland - Drum Major
Hayley Chittum - Colorguard Captain
Leah Taylor - Captain
Jake Buck, Raven Creasy, Tyler Hall, and Star Lantz - Seniors
The Eastern Montgomery Marching Band
From Eastern Montgomery High School
Under the Direction of Rachel Colby
Performing their 2026 Field Show Entitled:
Myths & Legends
Musical Selections Include:
Themes from How to Train Your Dragon, The Last Unicorn, and The Firebird
Staff Includes:
Color Guard Instructor - Dr. Hailey Larose
Percussion Instructor - Brenna Smith
Brass Instructor - Ayden Gravley
Student Leadership:
Drum Major - Misael Vela-Lopez
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Radford Regiment Marching Band
From Radford High School
Under the Direction of Layla Wilson
Performing their 2026 Field Show Entitled:
Midnight in Havana
Musical Selections Include:
Caliente by Gary P. Gilroy
Staff Includes:
Asst. Director - George Saunders
Color Guard - Ashlea Shockley
Percussion - Ian Epperly and Ben Harvey
Visual - Alex OBiso
Student Leadership:
High Brass Captain - Macy Sadler
Low Brass Captain - Levi Palmer
Woodwind Captain - Zach Gray
Drum Captains - Bea Holliman and Leah Woods
Front Ensemble Captain - Tai Lovik
Guard Captains - Natalie Greene, Rebekah Schindler, and Amelia Sullivan
Flute Section Leader - Libby Carchia
Clarinet Section Leader - Ryan Townes
Saxophone/Horn Section Leaders - Lily Francis and Caroline Gibbs
Trumpet Section Leader - Will Acosta
Low Brass Section Leader - Caleb Sams and Noah Morris
Nelson Count Marching Governors
From Nelson County High School
Under the Direction of Robert Meeks
Performing their 2026 Field Show Entitled:
Luminescence: From Spark to Star
Musical Selections Include:
Dream On, Clair de lune/Jupiter, and Sky Full of Stars
Staff Includes:
Assistant Director - Dupree Vest
Color Guard Instructor - April Aldridge
Student Leadership:
Drum Major - Ava Berry
Woodwind Captain - Hollin Eltzroth
Brass Captain - Jayna Birckhead
Percussion Captain - Skyler Little
Color Guard Captain - Guen Hernandez
Color Guard Co-Captain - Brenna McFadden
Flute Section Leader - Khloe Buckley
Clarinet Section Leader - Caroline Hatfield
Trumpet Section Leader - Sadie Perry
Trombone Section Leader - Corbin Miner
Tuba Section Leader - Aleah Garrett
Front Ensemble Section Leader - Mason Murphy
Marching Spartans
From Giles High School
Under the Direction of Trevor Albright
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
Gold Rush
Staff Includes:
Color Guard Captains - Michelle Mann and Larissa Wurtz
Student Leadership:
Drum Majors: Chloe Wheeler and Marin Hypes
Woodwind Captain: Joanna Jackson
High Brass Captain: Evan McDonald
Low Brass Captain: Anna Morris
Drumline Captain: Daphne Vaughn
Front Ensemble Captain: Layla Sessor
Color Guard Captain: Ash Manning
Logistics Captain: Thacker Underwood
Rustburg Marching Red Devils
From Rustburg High School
Under the Direction of Joseph Ayers
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
If I Only...
Musical Selections Include:
Music from Pink Floyd and Radiohead
Staff Includes:
Drum Instructor - David Lipscomb
Guard Instructor - Stevie Brandt
Student Leadership:
Drum Majors: Jillian Jurkow and Logan Hughes
Band Captains: Kelly Butt, Hannah Fryer, Evan Graham, Joselin Carreno, Anna Thompson, and Zeb Goldman
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Mighty Titan Marching Band
From Hidden Valley High School
Under the Direction of Thomas Galyen
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
The Ascent
Musical Selections Include:
Go The Distance from Hercules, Survivor by Destiny's Child, Symphony No. 40 by Mozart, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel, and Test Drive from How to Train Your Dragon by John Powell
Staff Includes:
Band Assistants - Kate Cobb and Stefan Castro
Color Guard Instructor - Amanda Kinser
Student Leadership:
Drum Majors - John Stamps and Alishba Sofi
Band Officers - Makenna Wyatt, Jay Vidal, Carla Mejia Marcano, and Marcus Belgarde
Color Guard Captain - Ali Armentrout
The Marching Cavaliers
From Lord Botetourt High School
Under the Direction of Chris Caldwell
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
The Dark Side
Musical Selections Include:
Space Oddity by David Bowie, Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra, Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden, Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, Hello by Adele, and Rocketman by Elton John
Staff Includes:
Assistant Director - Jamie Lawson
Color Guard Instructor - Emilie Graham and Sierra Noble
Visual and Winds Instructor - Maddie Meade
Percussion Instructor - Haley Caldwell
Student Leadership:
Drum Major - Ella Kirk
Marching Terriers
From William Byrd High School
Under the Direction of Dan Plybon
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
Eye On The Sky
Staff Includes:
Assistant Director - Ms. Jordan Alvos
Color Guard Instructor - Ms. Jenny Swortzel
Percussion Instructor - Mr. Issac Baldwin
Student Leadership:
Corps Commander - Braeden Booth
Drum Major - Zane Telsch
Brass Captain - Josh Allen
Woodwind Captain - Dixie Venable
Percussion Captain - Keith Schult
Color Guard Captain - Chloe Gill
Blacksburg High School Marching Band
From Blacksburg High School
Under the Direction of Darrell Pearman
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
See the Forest for the Trees
Musical Selections Include:
Symphony #1 by Mahler, The Pines of Rome, Peter and the Wolf, All By Myself, Songs from the Woods
Staff Includes:
Associate Directors - Brian Quakenbush and Shane Mercy
Color Guard - Lucy Palmer
Front Ensemble - Nichole Pearman
Student Leadership:
Drum Major - Carson Paar
Band of Distinction
From Bassett High School
Under the Direction of Trey Harris
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
Stringendo
Musical Selections Include:
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, Themes from Serenade for String Orchestra by Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Themes from Petruska by Igor Stravinsky, Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Orawa by Wojciech Kilar
Staff Includes:
Scott Allred, Andy Burnette, Kadeem Breedlove, Brianna Potter, Anasia Napper, Sarah Martin, Anne-Catherine Harris, Ryan Miller, Kellie Belle, James McArthur, Haley Wray, Matthew Gray, Shane Kelbley, and David S. Duffy
Student Leadership:
Drum Majors - Halie Foster and Bella Fackler
Sections Leaders - Alondra Martel-Rios, Morgan Sechrist, Camryn Penn, Lilli Foley, Maggie Sechrist, Virginia Robertson, Aiden Calloway, Isaac Naff, Kylee Deatherage
The Pride of Salem
From Salem High School
Under the Direction of John E. Wright and Thomas Graham
Performing their 2025 Field Show Entitled:
Voltage
Musical Selections Include:
Storm by Vivaldi, Thunderstruck by AC/DC, Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell, and Light Switch by Charlie Puth
Staff Includes:
Percussion - John Trent and Kaylee Mundy
Guard - Emilee Graham, Brittany Trent, Morgan Goad, and Bella DeLieto
Music and Visual - Sarah Carter, Brad Kirtner, and Will Allison
Student Leadership:
Drum Majors - Caitlin Abi Saab and Anna Shumate
Gold Fleet - Quinn Roudebush
Silver Fleet - Rick Rawlins
Bronze Fleet - Kimber Boris
