Sioux Falls Municipal Band's leader retiring after 24 years

After 24 years as the bandmaster of the Sioux Falls Municipal Band, Christopher Hill has announced his retirement.

Hill's retirement was announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning, along with the news that the Augustana University School of Music will begin providing "musical leadership" for the band.

Hill said during the conference that he was "grateful to our wonderful band and audience members who have supported the band for generations."

More: Task force recommends Washington Pavilion take over municipal band

Augustana will be responsible for planning rehearsals, programming performances, recruiting band members, developing performance standards and maintaining the band's assets, according to a press release.

The Washington Pavilion management company will continue to manage the band's operations, including budgeting, payroll, marketing and booking venues. Band members will remain Washington Pavilion employees, while conductors will be employees of Augustana University.

Peter Folliard, dean of the Augustana School of Music, said the university was "honored to be a part of the more than 100-year tradition of the Sioux Falls Municipal Band."

Folliard said the plan had come together after Hill shared his retirement plans. Augustana, he says, would "help carry on the tradition of this community treasure and find new ways to elevate its prominence."

The news comes more than a year after a task force recommended that management of the band be transferred to the Washington Pavilion management company, following public pushback to TenHaken's decision to cut the band's annual funding in the 2021 budget.

The band's first performance of the season is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 21, at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance.