TJC Wind Ensemble concert to serve as audition for international performance | TJC

TJC Wind Ensemble concert to serve as audition for international performance

Last February, the TJC Wind Ensemble became the first community/junior college group to perform a featured concert in the 102-year history of the Texas Music Educators Association's annual convention.

This year, they’re working toward their next ambitious goal.
 
The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference is the world’s largest instrumental music education conference, annually drawing more than 17,000 attendees from all 50 states and as many as 40 countries. It is held every December in Chicago.
 
“Our upcoming concert is titled ‘On the Air’ because we will use a recording of this performance as part of our application to perform at the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic,” TJC Director of Bands Jeremy Strickland said.
 
“The Midwest clinic is more than 75 years old. To our knowledge, they’ve never invited a junior/community college to perform. As with TMEA last year, we want to be the first. It’s a new year and a new goal.”
 
Strickland emphasizes the importance of how reaching higher benefits the students — not just in their education, but in life.
 
“There is so much to be learned throughout the journey of working toward performances of the highest level,” he said. “The process of practicing and putting together the most difficult program they have ever seen — which would be performed at a level that is hopefully high enough to be considered for Midwest — helps these students grow as musicians. It also validates the amount of time they put into the process, and that will help them throughout their careers. It’s the idea of ‘make a plan, work the plan.’”
 
The TJC Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will perform 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in Wise Auditorium in the Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center on the TJC central campus. Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend.
 

TJC On the Air

 

Strickland will share conducting duties with Dr. Eddie Airheart, TJC assistant director of bands and professor of music and woodwinds.
 
The TJC Wind Ensemble will perform the first three movements of German composer Paul Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis” and close with Franz von Blon’s “Hand in Hand Marsch,” a European march that was performed as a dance in the early 1900s for elite socialite gatherings. It was also performed aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912.
 
The TJC Symphonic Band will perform: “Cenotaph (Fanfare for Band)” by Jack Stamp, “Summit” by Kevin Day, “Metamorphic Dances” by Brian Balmages, and "Powhatan’s Daughter March" by John Philip Sousa.
 
TJC Wind Ensemble members: Bowen Adams, Lindale; Tania Andrews, Canton; Samuel Antonio, Tyler; Kelsey Beach, Powderly; Amielia Beam, Tyler; Reed Bryant, Rockwall; Will Culbertson, Paris; Victoria Dimkpa, Melissa; Bonnie Dyess, Canton; Sarah Elliott, Royse City; Cameran Fay, Gladewater; Haven Ferrer, Diana; Anthony Foto, Frankston; Mitchell Gilbert, Bullard; Roger Gonzalez, Palestine; Victoria Green, Rusk; Caleb Haffner, West Rusk; Tyler Hannan, Tyler; Anna Hudson, Canton; Maya Huffman, Kilgore; Emily James, Palestine; Nicole Jensen, Fort Worth; Maddison Jones, Dawson; Elisa Lajqi, Canton; David Landrum, Canton; Olivia Lester, The Colony; Yemiely Lopez, Grand Saline; Sydney Moseley, Frankston; Nathaniel Murray, Van; Harvey Nguyen, Whitehouse; Anthony Orduna, Tyler; Mariah Parnell, Tyler; Zachary Paul, Terrell; Nicolas Perez, Winnsboro; Aracely Perez-Gonzalez, Center; Brayden Persinger Tyler; Audrey Rhyne, Bullard; Alec Robinson, Forney; Aaron Roden, Lindale; Maria Rayann Rowland, Quitman; Jett Schnackenberg, Mansfield; Taylor See, Gladewater; Justin Shaw, Weatherford; Chad Mitchell Shulka, Fort Worth; Liviya Simmons, Lindale; Aidan Skanes, Flint; Joseph Smisek, Greenville; Robert Sparrow, Crandall; Lauren Taylor, Pineland; Dominic Theriot, Forney; Adam Tudor, Tyler; and Megan Wansley, Whitehouse.
 
TJC Symphonic Band members: LaDarius Adams, Tyler; Hyrum Adams, Leesburg; Sydney Bass, Palestine; Madison Beaird, Lindale; Conner Belcher, Lindale; Hilton Bounds, Reno; MaryJane Calderon, Tyler; Allie Campbell, Reno; Noah Clark, Palestine; Aaron Crow, Canton; Kristen Davenport, Waco; Ethan Davis, Tyler; Chloe Davis, Blooming Grove; Nikolai Dobbins-Ricard, Whitehouse; Aileen Dominguez, Longview; Justin Eden, Canton; Kirsten Gamblin, Paris; Micah Goodman, Palestine; Isai Govellan Jr., Bullard; Katelyn Gravis, Edgewood; Shemar Green, Gilmer; Hannah Gurley, Alba; Emma Helpenstell, Overton; Jamie Henson, Edgewood; Benjamin Herbst, McKinney; Benjamin Holcomb, Tyler; Chance Hooks, Chandler; Brooke Hudson, Tyler; Makayla Humphrey, Rockwall; Donovan Lopez, Caddo Mills; Emily Loyola, Jacksonville; Addison Manley, Ben Wheeler; Guillermo Martinez, Beckville; Emily McCary, Overton; Andru Mendoza, Winona; Brayden Miller, Quitman; Madysen Miller, Quitman; William Moore, Hideaway; Juan Najera, Springtown; David Nichols, Whitehouse; Manases Nieto, Longview; Marisol Ortiz, Palestine; Timon Ovard, Van; Bailea Reeves, Troup; Kandyce Richardson, Fort Worth; Grace Roark, Flint; Jazmin Rojas, Quitman; Alexa Sundholm, Lindale; Kyla Thomas, Springtown; Matthew Tryon, Tyler; Caitlynn Vanzandt, West Rusk; and Brieanna West, Flint.
 
TJC Trombone Choir performs at Big 12 conference at Texas Tech
The TJC Trombone Choir — most of whom are also in the TJC Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band — was the only community/junior college group invited to perform a featured concert at the Big 12 Trombone Conference held recently at Texas Tech University.
 

TJC Trombone Choir

From left: Heather Mensch, director and TJC music department chair; Caleb Haffner, West Rusk; David Landrum, Canton; Hilton Bounds, Longview; Caitlynn Vanzandt, West Rusk; Mitchell Shulka, Fort Worth; Aaron Roden, Lindale; Taylor See, Gladewater; David Nichols, Whitehouse; Kandyce Richardson, Fort Worth; Tanner Sparrow, Kaufman; T.J. Eaves, Lindale; Isaac Sanders, Bullard; Brody Bradshaw, Bullard; and Christian Butler, Bullard.

The conference included trombone students, professors and professional performing artists from across Texas, the United States and Europe. In addition to their featured performance, the TJC students participated in masterclasses with world-renowned trombone artist Peter Steiner, of Italy, and they were able to experience other outstanding performances and connect with trombone students from other universities.
 
TJC Trombone Choir members: tenor trombones, Hilton Bounds, Longview; Brody Bradshaw, Bullard; T.J. Eaves, Lindale; Caleb Haffner, West Rusk; David Landrum, Canton; David Nichols, Whitehouse; Kandyce Richardson, Fort Worth; Aaron Roden, Lindale; Taylor See, Gladewater; Mitchell Shulka, Fort Worth; and Caitlynn Vanzandt, West Rusk; bass trombones, Christian Butler, Bullard; Isaac Sanders, Bullard; and Tanner Sparrow, Kaufman.
 
The group is under the direction of Heather Mensch, TJC music department chair and professor of trombone and jazz.
 
Recordings now streaming online
TJC Wind Ensemble concert recordings have recently debuted on various music streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
 
Listeners can go to any of these sites and search for “Tyler Junior College Wind Ensemble.”
 
“Nothing can replace the experience of a live performance, but we’re excited to have a few of our favorite concerts available for all to hear — including last year’s TMEA performance,” Strickland said. “I’m so glad it’s out there for everyone to enjoy.
 
“We look forward to building an extensive library of recordings that our friends and fans can access whenever they want.”
 
For more on upcoming TJC cultural arts events, go to TJC.edu/PerformingArts.
 

 

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