Thursday, January 28, 2016

AU Concert Band and Jazz Orchestra Musicians Selected for OPCICA Honors


Four members of the Ashland University Concert Band and five members of the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra were selected to be members of the 2016 Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association All Ohio Collegiate Honors Concert Band and Honors Jazz Ensemble. The 29th Annual OPCICA Honors Festival was hosted on Jan. 23 and 24 by Muskingum University and the concert was held at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center in Cambridge, Ohio.

Those selected for the Honors Concert Band were music education majors Rachel Crow of Reynoldsburg and Jessica Barnhouse of Norwich, criminal justice major Nik Psota of Hinckley and accounting major Brett Stecker of Mansfield. Those selected for the Honors Jazz Ensemble were music education major Jaylynn Buchmelter of Wintersville, music and business administration major Cody Henderson of Bellevue, mathematics and language arts education major Alexandria Sandwisch of Elmore, psychology major Derek Rangel of Vermillion and Frank Stanek of Mansfield.

Nominations for the Honors Band and Jazz Ensemble were submitted by conductors at each of the member institutions. These students were selected from over 150 nominees. Both ensembles rehearsed for two days and then presented a gala concert.

The Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association, founded in 1987, held its first collegiate honors band festival on Jan. 24, 1988. Currently comprised of 20 member colleges and universities, the primary purpose of the organization is to develop a closer network of communication and resource sharing among the instrumental departments, divisions, or conservatories of the various privately funded institutions of higher education within the state of Ohio.

An additional purpose is to sponsor an annual honors festival featuring an Honors Concert Band and an Honors Jazz Ensemble comprised of instrumental students from the participating schools. These festivals have enriched the lives of thousands of college instrumentalists as well as the conductors from the member institutions. The students are together for two days, and prepare the concert in three rehearsal.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Senior Trumpet Recital, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m.

The first concert of the spring 2016 semester will be held on Sunday, January 24 at 5 p.m. featuring music education major Hannah Phillips (Plymouth) as she performs her senior trumpet recital. Accompanied by pianist Susan Gregg, Hannah's concert program will include Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by Kent Kennan, George Gershwin's Someone to Watch Over Me arranged by Joseph Turrin, and Nightsongs by Richard Peaslee. The concert is free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Spring 2016 Music Event Schedule Released

Ashland University Department of Music releases its official event schedule for Spring 2016. From junior and senior recitals to several choral and band concerts, opera scenes and the Maplerock Jazz Festival, the slate of performances offers something for everyone.

The full schedule can be accessed online at Ashland.edu/Music, in-person at the Ashland University Box Office or contact Tricia Applegate to have a copy mailed to your home. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest by following Ashland University Music on Facebook.