Best of the West Music Festival | Colorado Mesa University

The Best of the West Music Festival is a multi-day event whose past participants have consisted of hundreds of talented high school musicians, nationally renowned guest artists/performers and ensembles, guest composers, and guest conductors. Events include performances by guest artists, multiple PRISM concerts featuring CMU students and faculty, masterclasses, sessions for music teachers seeking graduate/continuing education credit, and a performance of 3 high school select or honor bands culminating from one and a half days of vigorous rehearsals and sectionals. In 2000 this festival began as a one-day event. Since then, thanks to the generous support of Karen Combs and leadership from CMU Director of Bands (Calvin Hofer, retired, & Jonathan Hinkle, current), the event has developed tremendously into a 3-day affair that has received national attention and has commissioned and premiered many works for wind band and other instrumental ensembles, many of which are now being performed around the world.

See below for audition information and excerpts

Auditions

No nominations. No on-site seating auditions.
Video Auditions Due November 1

Concert Bands

Advanced Concert Band – Students who wish to be placed in this ensemble are encouraged to prepare one excerpt from the current Colorado All-State Concert Band audition materials. Select the materials for your instrument on the Colorado All-State audition page.

Finding the All-State Excerpts: Ask your band director, private instructor, or fellow musicians for assistance. You may also be able to find many of the required method books through Archive.org, a free online library with millions of public-domain and out-of-print books: https://archive.org/details/texts
Important: You do not need to play at the suggested tempo or perform the entire excerpt. Do your best with the material!

Intermediate Concert Band - Students who are not yet ready for All-State-level materials may instead perform one of the alternate audition excerpts available here. Students who audition with an All-State excerpt, but are then not placed in the Advanced Concert Band, may be placed in this ensemble.

Brass Band

The BOTW Brass Band is a contemporary ensemble consisting of approximately:

4–5 saxophones • 3–5 trumpets • 3–5 low brass • 1-2 sousaphones • keyboard • guitar • 1-2 drumset

Option 1: Perform your part to “Ya Move Ya Lose” (repeats are not necessary). AND perform one other thing that you think might be appropriate for consideration with this kind of ensemble - Show off your favorite line from another brass band song, demonstrate your improvisation skills, or perform anything that might make us feel like you are a good fit for this group. Ask your band director, teachers, or friends for advice.

Option 2: Perform one excerpt from the current Colorado All-State Jazz Band audition materials. After opening the Colorado All-State audition page, scroll down to find the audition materials for your instrument.

Important: You do not need to perform the excerpt at the suggested tempo, and you do not need to perform the entire excerpt. Do the best you can with the material!

You may submit audition videos for both Concert Band and Brass Band, but students will ultimately be placed in only one ensemble based on their strongest audition and the needs of the festival.

Tuba/Sousaphone, Guitar, Keyboard, and Drumset Players: Because the Colorado All-State Jazz Band audition materials may be less applicable to brass band styles, students who play these instruments are encourage to choose Option 1 and choose a favorite brass band style line and perform that for their video audition.

Recording Tips

Use your phone. A simple phone recording is perfectly acceptable.
Find a quiet space with minimal background noise.
Make sure the camera allows the viewer to see all of you and your instrument—please do not record entirely from behind a music stand.
You do not need to perform at the suggested tempo.
You do not need to use a metronome during your recording.
You do not need to perform the entire excerpt.
Sending something is better than sending nothing!

Upload your recording to YouTube as an unlisted video, then submit the link using this audition form.

Timeline

November 1 — Video auditions due

November 8 — Placement notifications sent, including alternate assignments

November 15 — Deadline to confirm attendance via submitting payment, $35 per student, including Friday dinner and admission to festival concerts. Any unclaimed positions will be offered to alternates.

November 20 — Alternates must confirm participation by this date

Bonus!

Your BOTW audition preparation—and any feedback you receive—may also be helpful if you are preparing to audition for the Colorado All-State Band, whose audition deadline is November 21.

Schedule: December 3-5, 2026

*Friday night dinner, all performances, masterclasses, sessions and additional break snacks included in participant registration dues.

Thursday

Open rehearsal with CMU Wind Symphony and guest artist/s - non-ticketed event 3pm
Thursday

Guest artist/s featured performance *ticketed for non-festival participants 7:30pm
Friday

Welcome, rehearsals, sectionals, sessions, & dinner 8:30am-7pm • Participant check-in & welcome, honor bands rehearsals with guest conductors, sectionals with CMU faculty, sessions for HS directors, dinner in CMU “Caf” (included)
Friday

PRISM Concert (open to public*) • PRISM Concert in Asteria Theater featuring CMU faculty, students, guest artist/s, and instrumental ensembles *ticketed for non-festival participants
Saturday

Masterclasses, rehearsals, sessions 8:30am-2:30pm • • Masterclasses led by guest artist/s and CMU faculty, honor bands rehearsals with guest conductors, sessions for HS directors
Saturday

Honor bands performance (open to public*) 3pm • • All honor bands perform & closing encore by guest artist/s *non-ticketed event