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Jazz Ensemble to Start Spring Tour March 17
released: 03/10/05 |
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 The West Virginia Wesleyan College Jazz Ensemble will begin its 35th annual spring tour starting Thursday, March 17. The six-day tour will consist of at least 12 performances at public schools and will feature a concert at the famous Rex Jazz Club in Toronto, Canada.
The Ensemble will tour West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, Canada. The Ensemble performances will begin at Trinity High School in Morgantown and continue to McGuffy High School in McGuffy, PA and Deer Lakes High School in Russellton, PA. On Friday, they will travel to New York and play at Eden High School and Alden High School.
On Saturday, the Ensemble will perform in the Rex Jazz Club. The Rex Jazz Club has been at the forefront for over 20 years in the Toronto’s thriving jazz scene. It has featured world renowned musicians such as Harry Connick Jr. and Ani Defranco. The Club also attracts Canada’s finest musicians. The Ensemble will have the opportunity to sightsee Toronto on Sunday, and on Monday, they will continue their travels to DaVinci High School in Buffalo, NY and North Tonawanda High School in North Tonawanda, NY. On Tuesday, they will perform at Newark High School (assembly and evening concert) in Newark and Mid-Lakes High School in Phelps. The tour concludes on Wednesday at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, NY. “We are very excited to have a mix of performances, mostly in public school assemblies, but also some public concerts, including the gig at The Rex,” remarked first-year director Dr. David Wright.
Dr. Wright, assistant professor of music at Wesleyan, will preside over the Ensemble after the former director and founder of the Ensemble, Dr. David Milburn retired last summer. Dr. Wright has gained international recognition as a performer of both classical and jazz saxophone giving concerts and master classes across the globe. He has presented programs at the National Conservatory in Lima, Peru, the Victoriano Lopez School of Music in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and the World Saxophone Congress XIII, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a jazz artist, Dr. Wright has performed with such groups as the Temptations, the Four Tops, Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, the O’Jays, and Regis Philbin.
The Ensemble’s repertoire consists of a variety of tunes from the traditional Big Band Era, as well as many interesting contemporary compositions. Some of the selections they will be performing include “Count Bubba’s Revenge” and “Hunting Wabbits” by Gordon Godwin, “Old School” by Jeff Jarvis, “Skylark” by Hoagy Charmichael, and “Thumbs” by Doug Walter.
Making up the jazz ensemble are on saxophones: Rick Hogg, (Parkersburg, WV), Brian O’Neill, (Patterson, NY), Sarah Helman (Barre, VT), Chris Way (Lumberport, WV) and Bob Ruqus (Wappingers Falls, NY); trumpets: Kim Marinich (Uniontown, PA), Adam Loudin (Buckhannon, WV), David Manspeaker (Elkton, MD), Stacey Cover (Bridgeport, WV), and Chris Garton (Jane Lew, WV); trombones: Andrew Duncan (North Huntingdon, PA), Chris Patterson, (Buckhannon, WV), Mike Lambert (Scituate, RI), and Lydia Morris, Romney, WV; and rhythm: Sean Coughlin (Yorktown, NY), Sara Burnside (Buckhannon, WV), George Costa (Vernon, NJ), Allison Thorp (Parkersburg, WV), Sam Nesbitt (Buckhannon, WV), and Jerry Wright (North Huntingdon, PA).
Following the tour, the Ensemble will present its home concert in Wesley Chapel on Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. They will perform with jazz vocalist Kathy Kosins.
The Jazz Ensemble was formed in 1970. The Band consists of full saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and horn sections, as well as a rhythm section that includes piano, drum set, guitar and bass. The members represent a variety of academic interests including education, science, and music, and are all members of Wesleyan's 70-piece Concert Band.
For more information about Wesleyan's Jazz Ensemble, please contact Dr. Wright at wright@wvwc.edu.
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