THE MAGIC OF MUSIC AT BAND FESTIVAL

The founder of the Wenger Band Festival has been honored as this year’s grand marshal.

Kim Cosens of Owatonna rode in the Festival Saturday morning. He served as chairman of the festival for 10 years.

Cosens taught instrumental music for more than 20 years at high schools in Mitchell, S.D., Spirit Lake and Sioux City, Iowa and Waseca. His bands earned numerous honors in the Midwest and nationally through the years. He was the jazz education chair for Minnesota for two years and served on the state music education board. Over the years he served as all-state host and is a member of instrumental music honor societies and organizations.

During his teaching tenure, Cosens had well over 200 students selected for national ensembles, all-state ensembles and honor bands.

Prior to his retirement in 2022, he served as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Owatonna.

Currently, he serves as a consultant, guest conductor and clinician and is a respected adjudicator in jazz, marching and concert bands as well as solo and ensemble contests throughout Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Arizona.

This past year Cosens was director of jazz studies at Agua Fria High School in Arizona and played in the Phoenix College Big Band. He lives in Minnesota during the summer months and Arizona the rest of the year.

Cosens recalled organizing the festival in 2010 because he found that most festivals weren’t a learning experience for kids. “I wanted to provide that opportunity for Owatonna kids and others to go to a high-quality festival,” he said.

Since its start, the festival has always featured 12 marching bands. Cosens said in the early years that the slots filled up within the first 24 hours of being announced. “Our goal was to become one of the premier festivals in Minnesota,” he said.

In the past, surveys always indicated kids looked at Owatonna as their favorite marching band festival to be involved with. “The bands that come love to march in this festival,” he said.

To this day, Cosens said the festival is considered premier because of its educational focus. The festival, he said, teaches teens valuable life skills. “They learn how to discipline their time and work with others they may not like,” he said. “It helps kids be stronger with whatever they go into in life. Set goals, measure growth and be accountable.”

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Wenger Band Festival Results

Class A

1^st place- Richfield

2^nd place- Lake City

Class AA

1^st place- Cotter

2^nd place- Worthington

Class AAA

1^st place- 728 Cadets

2^nd place- Waconia