NOTE TO DIRECTORS:
Only works listed on this year’s syllabus will satisfy the syllabus requirement for the 2026 festival. MusicFest Canada provides adjudication scores for pieces on the syllabus. Canadian works on the syllabus will also satisfy the Canadian requirement (see below). Please be sure to review the complete rules and regulations at www.musicfest.ca before selecting your repertoire.
CANADIAN REQUIREMENT:
Since May 2016, every Concert Band participating in “The Nationals” has been required to play one composition by a Canadian composer. This may be from the Syllabus, or it may be one of the director’s choice. If it is one of the director’s choice, it should be at the same performance level (if the band plays in B300, the director’s Canadian choice should be at the B300 level). See “2026 CANADIAN CONCERT BAND LIST” for additional non-syllabus suggested Canadian concert band compositions.
Canadian Content is noted with a 
Class/Classe B600
| Awayday | Gorb, Adam | Maecenas | Listen |
| Banks of Newfoundland | Cable, Howard | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Come Sunday | Thomas, Omar | Omar Thomas | Listen |
| Crossing Parallels | Salfelder, Kathryn | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Frenergy | Estacio, John, arr. Fraser Linklater | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Give Us This Day | Maslanka, David | Carl Fischer | Listen |
| Gloriosa (any movement) | Ito, Yasuhide | Bravo | Listen |
| Havana | Day, Kevin | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| High Water Rising | Lamb McCune, Sally | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Overture to Candide | Bernstein, Leonard, arr. Clare Grundman | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Sonics | Coakley, Donald | Eighth Note | |
| Symphonic Overture | Barnes, James | Hal Leonard/Southern | Listen |
| Undercurrents | Buckley, Robert | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Variants on a Medieval Tune | Dello Joio, Norman | Hal Leonard/E.B. Marks | Listen |
Class/Classe B500
| Blue Lake Overture | Chance, John Barnes | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Chorale and Shaker Dance | Zdechlik, John | Kjos | Listen |
| City Trees | Markowski, Michael | Michael Markowski | Listen |
| Dancing Fire | Day, Kevin | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Free Running | Buckley, Robert | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Genesis | Gassi, Vince | Alfred/Belwin | Listen |
| Into the Blue | Stölzel, Ingrid | Ingrid Stölzel | Listen |
| Milestone | Etezady, Roshanne | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Mouvement Frenetique | Dagenais, Jonathan | Alfred | Listen |
| Original Suite, An | Jacob, Gordon | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Peace Dancer | Blackshaw, Jodie | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Psalm for Band | Persichetti, Vincent | Carl Fischer | Listen |
| Romantic Variations | Calvert, Morley | Counterpoint | Listen |
| Skyline | Hammell, Evan | EKR Hammell | Listen |
| Songs for Wind Ensemble | Goto, Yo | Bravo/Hustle Copy | Listen |
| Under the Butterfly's Wing | Stetner, Lindsay | LES | Listen |
Class/Classe B400
| Ash | Jolley, Jennifer | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Autumn | Nishimura, Cait | Cait Nishimura | Listen |
| Colours and Contrasts of Grief, The | Suchan, Paul | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Fisher Who Died in His Bed, The | Herberman, John | Northdale | Listen |
| From Chaos to the Birth of a Dancing Star | Bell, Allan Gordon | Canadian Music Centre | Listen |
| Impulse Engine | Bremer, Carolyn | C. Alan | Listen |
| In Two Places | Woodrow, Haley | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| ISS Flyover | Meechan, Peter | Peter Meechan | Listen |
| Land of the Midnight Sun | Buckley, Robert | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Little Concert Suite, A | Reed, Alfred | Hal Leonard/E.B. Marks | Listen |
| Lyric Essay | Coakley, Donald | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Mercury In Transit | Charke, Derek | Canadian Music Centre | Listen |
| One Life Beautiful | Giroux, Julie | Musica Propria | Listen |
| Rescue | Hammell, Evan | EKR Hammell | Listen |
| Stillwater | Dunton, Kelijah | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Suite on Canadian Folk Songs | Calvert, Morley | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Symbiopholie! | Dagenais, Jonathan | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Terpsichorean Dances | Blackshaw, Jodie | Manhattan Beach | Listen |
| Tight Squeeze | Shapiro, Alex | Hal Leonard/Activist | Listen |
Class/Classe B300
| Alegre | Léon, Tania | HL/Bandquest | Listen |
| Autumn Down a Maple Lane | Byman, Chris | Chris Byman | Listen |
| Energy | Sims, Adrian | Alfred/FJH | Listen |
| Flourish for Wind Band | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Oxford University Press | Listen |
| Greek Folk Song Suite | Cesarini, Franco | Hal Leonard/de Haske | Listen |
| Halcyon Hearts | Copley, Katahj | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Mystery on Mena Mountain | Giroux, Julie | Hal Leonard/Southern | Listen |
| Old Churches | Colgrass, Michael | Hal Leonard/Bandquest | Listen |
| Pop! | Olson, Tawnie | Hal Leonard/Bandquest | Listen |
| Portrait of Terry Fox | Le, Quan | Music Direct/MMI | Listen |
| Prairie Wedding | Kristofferson, Kenley | Barnhouse/Daehn | Listen |
| Prelude | Raum, Elizabeth | Canadian Music Centre | Listen |
| Remembrance | Choi, Danny | D.I.D. Choi | Listen |
| Reminiscence | Salfelder, Kathryn | Hal Leonard/B&H | Listen |
| Shenandoah | Thomas, Omar | Omar Thomas | Listen |
| Song of the Tides (at least 2nd movement) | Charke, Derek | Canadian Music Centre | Listen |
| Sure on this Shining Night | Barber, Samuel, arr. Richard Saucedo | Hal Leonard/Schirmer | Listen |
| Variations On A Rollicking Tune | Sirulnikoff, Jack | Counterpoint | Listen |
| When The Sun Comes After Rain | Emery, Matthew, arr. Evan Hammell | EKR Hammell | Listen |
| Winter Sun | Macdonald, Don, arr. Sara Sulyma | Don Macdonald | Listen |
Class/Classe B200
| Ancient Flower | Nishimura, Yukiko | Carl Fischer | Listen |
| And It Begins | Woodrow, Haley | Alfred/Belwin | Listen |
| Donkey Riding | Coakley, Donald | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Dystopia | Coles, Jay | C. Alan | Listen |
| French-Canadian Suite, A | MacLaughlin, Arnold | Bourne | |
| Heroes Triumphant | Owens, William | Alfred/FJH | Listen |
| Hush | Thomas, Bill | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Morning Star | LaBrie, Katie O'Hara | Alfred | Listen |
| Newfoundland Folk Song | Duff, Jim | Alfred | |
| Of Gentle Spirit | Owens, William | Alfred/FJH | Listen |
| Rhythm Stand | Higdon, Jennifer | Hal Leonard/Bandquest | Listen |
| Rider of the Mountain | Choi, Danny | Carl Fischer or D.I.D. Choi | Listen |
| Scottish Ballade, A | Sheldon, Robert | Alfred | Listen |
| Spring March | Dagenais, Jonathan | Alfred | Listen |
| The March to Longcastle | Fisher, Danielle | Danielle Fisher | Listen |
| Where Mountains Touch the Sky | Buckley, Robert | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Woven | Piunno, Nicole | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| Zenith | Meechan, Peter | Peter Meechan | Listen |
Class/Classe B100
| Affirmation | Owens, William | Alfred/FJH | Listen |
| All For One, One For All | Brittin Chambers, Carol | Excelcia | Listen |
| All Ye Young Sailors | La Plante, Pierre | Barnhouse/Daehn | Listen |
| Anthem and March | McGinty, Anne | Kjos/Queenswood | Listen |
| Battle Pavane, The | Susato, Tielman, arr. Bob Margolis | Manhattan Beach | Listen |
| Chorale Elega'nt | Roussanova Lucas, Elena | Alfred/Belwin | Listen |
| Colliding Visions | Balmages, Brian | Alfred/FJH | Listen |
| Dark Star | Huss, Christina | Excelcia | Listen |
| Early One Morning | Marlatt, David | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Ember Skies | Day, Kevin | Murphy Music Press | Listen |
| In the Wake of Spring | Swearingen, James | Alfred/Belwin | Listen |
| Little Bear's Lullaby | Neufeld, Matt | Eighth Note | Listen |
| Nottingham Castle | Daehn, Larry | Barnhouse/Daehn | Listen |
| Ready to Fly | Nishimura, Cait | Cait Nishimura | Listen |
| Squonk Blues | Buckley, Robert | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Starlit Night, A | Swearingen, James | Alfred | Listen |
| Water is Wide, The | Griffin, Julie | Hal Leonard | Listen |
| Whirlwind | Blackshaw, Jodie | Manhattan Beach | Listen |
| You Decide | Piunno, Nicole | Nicole Piunno | Listen |
