SYRACUSE — Blaring horns, majestic color guards and spectacular displays of musicianship are promised at the New York State Field Band Conference annual Field Band Championship Show, to feature local schools Rome Free Academy, Westmoreland Central School and New Hartford Central School, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at Syracuse University’s JMA Dome.

More than 5,000 high school band members total will participate as 53 high school marching bands compete.

There will be 22 judges scoring the 14 hours of competition, with the smallest band featuring 27 members and the largest band 190 members.

The competition will feature six classifications: Large School 3, Large School 2, Small School 3, Small School 2, Small School 1 and National Class. Small school classes represent school districts of 4,000 students or less, while large school classes represent districts with a population more than 4,000.

There will be guest performances by the Syracuse University Pride of the Orange Marching Band and the University at Buffalo Thunder of the East Marching Band.

Pre-sale tickets are $23 for adults or $25 at the door; seniors ages 65 and older are $16, or $18 at the door; and students age 18 and younger are $16, or $18 at the door.

Spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at cuse.com/dome – NYSFBC Championship Show.

Show No. 1 will feature the RFA Marching Band competing in the Large School 3 Class at 8:39 a.m.; Westmoreland Central School Marching Band will compete in the Small School 2 Class at 3:24 p.m.; and New Hartford Central School Marching Band in the Small School 1 Class at 6:01 p.m.

From 9:55-10:30 p.m., the event will conclude with the Drum Major/Senior Retreat Awards Ceremony.

The New York State Field Band Conference Championship show is the culmination of an eight-week season which features nearly 60 bands in 34 regional competitions throughout the state. Band members, directors, staff members and boosters from each of the competing schools will have spent countless hours preparing for this prestigious event.

Bands are divided into six different classifications based on school size and past competitive experience. Each band in the championship show will perform a musical and visual show lasting about 10 minutes for a panel of 10 judges. The judges will score and rank each band within its class. Each band will receive a plaque and the highest scoring New York State band in each class will take home the coveted Governor’s Cup.

The bands in the championship show will represent nearly every region of the state along with one band from New Jersey.