296 Piccolo Players Gather in Clarkston to Set World Record
(Sharlan Douglas, Aug. 28, 2026)
CLARKSTON, MI – Two hundred and ninety six piccolo players performing the Stars and Stripes Forever set a world record at the August 23 concert of the Southeastern Michigan Wind Ensemble (SEMWE), held at Clarkston High School.
Musicians came from 23 states and Canadian provinces for the occasion, ranging from California to Quebec. They topped a previous record of 239 set by the Washington, DC, Capital Wind Symphony in November, 2025.
Flautist Barbara Saks, a retired band director from Holland played in the Wheaton (IL) Municipal Band when it sought the record, winding up with 170 piccolos. She learned of the SEMWE event through social media, said, “This will be epic” and signed up. “It (SEMWE) is a very fine ensemble. The concert was great – all very high-powered players.”
The record attempt was the brainchild of Maryjean York, a flute player who serves on the SEMWE board.
She learned of the Capital Winds record and thought, “Why couldn’t we do this?” She saw an opportunity to connect America’s 250th birthday and SEMWE’s 10th anniversary in 2026-2027.
She and fellow board member Kendra Peterson relied on social media groups and pages to recruit flute and piccolo players. More than three hundred people signed up, though they knew not all would make it.
“We got the nicest message from the Capital Winds Symphony,” she said. “We all root for each other. If one of us succeeds we all succeed.”
“Joining almost 300 other piccolo players for Stars and Stripes Forever was a true bucket-list experience,” said Stephanie Smith-Hall, who plays in the Novi Concert Band. “It was humbling to be standing among so many others who share the brave job of playing the highest voice in their bands and orchestras, usually as soloists. Here, we had comradery and safety in numbers, and what surprised me most was how sweet and light we sounded together, especially in the trills.”
The record set by SEMWE is an informal one. A notary public monitored the process and certified the result but they couldn’t lure the Guiness Book of World Records judges to Clarkston. Nevertheless, the next day York said the result already showed up on the first page of a browser search.
The mission of the Southeastern Michigan Wind Ensemble is to provide a performance outlet for music educators and other accomplished musicians, to educate and share music with the local community, and to promote wind and percussion literature as a form of communication and cultural enrichment. The group performs three concerts a year in the fall, spring and summer.
For its 10th season, the organization will commission a work by Michigan composer Andrew David Perkins, to premiere at the spring, 2027 concert. Learn more about Southeastern Michigan Wind Ensemble at https://www.semwe.org/
Pictured: Representing the Novi Concert Band, from left: Greg Schroeder, Danielle Hammelef, Stephanie Smith Hall, and Nancy Ryan.
