Video credit Edward Karpp

The Valencia High School Marching Band & Color Guard is pleased to announce the eighth annual Pride of the Vikings Field Show Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 4:30 p.m. in Santa Clarita.

Valencia High School will host eighteen local bands with over 1,200 performers. This event will bring together some of the most radiant color guard pageantry and thrilling marching band performances in Southern California, all competing for first place.

The tournament starts at 4:30 p.m. in the Valencia High School football stadium, located at 27801 North Dickason Drive, Santa Clarita, and will be followed by a special performance from the Pasadena City College Lancer Marching Band and Color Guard at 9:30 p.m., with an exciting awards ceremony at 9:45 p.m. Ticket price is $10. General parking is free.

The Valencia High School Band & Color Guard, with their Director of Instrumental Music, Kelvin Flores, and his visual and music design team, Lorraine Kohagen and Scott Ruiz, have crafted a stunning program titled “Cosmic Illuminations.” The performance captures the awe and wonder of space exploration, musically and visually catapulting our imagination into a universe of swirling clusters of twinkling stars and planets. Appropriately, the show opens with an original communication recording from an Apollo mission as the huddled band and guard burst into motion replicating the explosion of supernovas.

The field is adorned with animated lighted panels and large illuminated asteroids. The sparkling costumes and poetic choreography of iridescent turquoise and deep amber-hued flags represent the colorful turbulence of planetary systems and streaking comets. “Gravity,” a beautiful pop piece made famous by Sara Bareilles, is skillfully interwoven into the space theme, taking the audience on an unforgettable musical adventure.

“The universe is so vast and full of wonder. We want to use our show to aesthetically demonstrate the excitement, greatness, beauty, and danger of our infinite universe,” Flores said. “In addition, we wanted to provide a performance that would highlight the advancements in space exploration towards making our Earth a better place, especially on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In developing a performance celebrating the diversity of our planetary systems, we bring focus to everyone’s responsibilities to save our planet. I am so proud of each and every one of these students who have worked tirelessly and have really stretched their limits to perform in excellence.”

Delicious food, snacks and drinks will be offered throughout the day by the Valencia High School Band & Flag Boosters. “Raffle prizes will also be available. All proceeds from the tournament go towards the ongoing fundraising efforts of our music program. We encourage businesses to visit our website for great opportunities to be a sponsor,” says Channon Morris, president of the Flags & Boosters Board.

About the Valencia High School Band & Color Guard:
The Pride of the Vikings Marching Band and Color Guard has been ranked as one of the top “Class 3A” bands in Southern California and has won sweepstakes awards at several competitions. For the past five years, the Viking Band & Color Guard has medaled at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Championships, receiving a bronze medal in 2014, silver in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and gold medals in 2013 and 2015. The concert band programs have also received consistent “Superior” and “Unanimous Superior” rankings at the festivals they attend.

About Kelvin Flores:
Kelvin Flores graduated magna cum laude from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education serving as president of the CSUN Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education and collaborated as a co-president of the CSUN University Chorus for several semesters. Flores became the new Director of Instrumental Music for Valencia High School in 2019. Prior to that, Flores held the position of Director of Instrumental Music at Arroyo Seco Junior High School where he was recognized by the William S. Hart Union High School District as a 2019 Teacher of the Year. As a musician, Mr. Flores has led the CSUN Wind Symphony flute section as principal player and section leader. He was also part of the CSUN Wind Ensemble, Discovery Players, and the Santa Clarita Philharmonic.

About Valencia High School Band & Flag Booster:
The Valencia High School Band & Flag Boosters (VHSBFB) is the booster organization supporting the Valencia High School band and color guard programs. The group supports the directors in the overall operation of the programs through fundraising, logistics and transportation planning. VHSBFB is registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation in the state of California.