Two of my newest concert band pieces made the 2026-27 Bandworld Top 100. One is Inspirare, an original work. The other is my new setting of Richard Strauss’s Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare. RWS Music Company publishes both. Directors’ reading bands will sight-read them this November in Seattle and again next summer in Ashland, Oregon.
What Is the Bandworld Top 100?
Every fall, one team runs Bandworld Magazine, the Western International Band Clinic (WIBC), and the American Band College (ABC). That team listens to all of the new concert band music in print for the coming school year. They also review a handful of important reissues. From that stack, they pick 100 compositions for live sight-reading sessions. That list becomes the Bandworld Top 100.
The first reading happens at WIBC, a convention for band directors and students that has met in Seattle each November since 1979. This year, the WIBC Directors’ Band reads the list on November 21 and 22. Next, the ABC Directors’ Band reads it again in June. ABC is a summer master’s degree program for band directors, and it has met in Ashland since 1989.
This marks the 34th year of a directors’ reading band at WIBC and the 39th at ABC. Directors from more than 40 states and 5 countries play in those sessions. As a result, the list travels far beyond the room, because those directors take their favorites home and share them with colleagues.
Bandworld also posts the Top 100 in its free online magazine, along with recordings and links to publishers. In addition, every score and recording sent to the project joins the ABC Center for Research in Concert Band Literature. That collection already holds more than 49,000 items. You can learn more about the clinic on the Western International Band Clinic website.
Inspirare (Grade 4)
Inspirare is an original concert work in the RWS Symphony Band series. It opens with brass fanfares and driving percussion, then moves through mixed meters and quick bursts of rhythmic color. The middle section hands the spotlight to the woodwinds for a warm, lyrical stretch. After that, the earlier themes return and build to a soaring finish.
The piece runs about six and a half minutes. At Grade 4, it fits a strong high school band or a university ensemble. It works as either a concert opener or the centerpiece of a program. Inspirare also earned a spot on this fall’s JW Pepper Editor’s Choice list.
- Grade 4, about 6:30
- RWS Music Company, RWS Symphony Band series
- Listen to Inspirare at RWS Music
Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare (Grade 5)
Richard Strauss wrote this fanfare in 1924 for the Vienna Philharmonic’s first ball, a benefit for the orchestra’s pension fund. The orchestra has played it at every ball since. Strauss scored the original for a large brass and timpani group: six trumpets, eight horns, six trombones, two tubas, and two sets of timpani.
My version updates that scoring for today’s ensembles. A full wind ensemble can play it, or the brass section can play it on its own. It lasts about two and a half minutes, so it makes a dignified opener for a concert, a graduation, or any ceremony.
- Grade 5, about 2:30
- RWS Music Company, full wind ensemble or brass alone
- Listen to Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare at RWS Music
Why the Bandworld Top 100 Helps Directors
Choosing literature takes hours, and most directors can’t hear every new release. A curated list narrows the search. Because working directors sight-read each piece, the Bandworld Top 100 also shows how a work sounds on a first read, alongside the polished demo recording.
Three other RWS titles made this year’s list too: Oh No Ringo! by Robert W. Smith, Pride Within by Mark Lortz, and Ben Hawkins’s setting of Gershwin’s Third Prelude.
Thank you to the Bandworld, WIBC, and ABC team for the work behind this list, and to everyone at RWS Music Company. To hear more of my concert band writing, browse my music page. You can also read more about my background or find more posts on the blog. If you have a question about either piece, or want to talk about a commission for your ensemble, get in touch here.
FAQ: The Bandworld Top 100
What is the Bandworld Top 100?
The Bandworld Top 100 is an annual list of 100 new concert band works. The team behind Bandworld Magazine, WIBC, and the American Band College picks it each fall. Directors’ reading bands sight-read the list at WIBC in Seattle each November and at ABC the following summer.
When will directors read these pieces?
The WIBC Directors’ Band reads the 2026-27 list on November 21 and 22 in Seattle. The ABC Directors’ Band reads it again next June.
What grade levels are Inspirare and Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare?
Inspirare is Grade 4 and runs about six and a half minutes. Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare is Grade 5 and runs about two and a half minutes.
Can a brass section play Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare alone?
Yes. I scored it so a full wind ensemble or a brass section on its own can perform it.
Where can I get these pieces?
RWS Music Company publishes both works. You can hear recordings and order scores and parts through the RWS Music website.
Who publishes the Bandworld Top 100?
Bandworld Magazine, the free online magazine from the nonprofit WIBC, Inc., posts the list along with recordings and links to publishers.
About the Author
Evan VanDoren is a composer, arranger, conductor, and former high school band director. Ensembles across the United States and beyond perform his music. In addition, he works with band programs to create music and marching band productions that highlight the strengths of their students and programs.
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