The Hope College Jazz Arts Collective, Mainstream Ensemble and Contemporary Ensemble will perform on Wednesday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Following the concert, the Mainstream Ensemble and Contemporary Ensemble, along with the college’s Standard Ensemble, will also perform at Butch’s in downtown Holland.
The Mainstream Ensemble will perform “Raunchy Rita,” by Frank Foster, and “Grand Central,” by John Coltrane. The ensemble is coached by Robert Hodson, professor of music and chairperson of the department. The students in the group are: junior Forrest Dodson of Kalamazoo, bass; junior Michael Graverson of Hamilton, guitar; junior Daniel Langholz of Ramstein, Germany, trombone; sophomore Matthew Milliken of Roscommon, saxophone; sophomore Andrew Valesano of Sherwood, Ore., piano; and senior David Webster of Troy, drums.
The Contemporary Ensemble will perform “Star of the Story,” by Vijay Iyer; “Film,” by Bad Plus; and “Tuesday Wonderland,” by Esbjorn Svensson. The group is coached by Brian Coyle, who is a professor of music and director of jazz studies at Hope. The students in the ensemble are: junior Jared DeMeester of Grand Rapids, bass; senior Luke Panning of Holland, violin; senior Michael Reynolds of Tampa, Fla., piano; and senior Wayne Titus of Canton, drums.
The Jazz Arts Collective will perform “Face the Mirror,” by Rick Helzer; “5 for Six,” by Kenny Wheeler; “Three Blocks,” by senior Michael Reynolds of Tampa, Fla.; and “Afro Blue,” by Mongo Santamaria. The group is directed by Brian Coyle. The students in the ensemble are: junior Joel Brogan of Orange City, Iowa, trombone; junior Jared DeMeester of Grand Rapids, bass; junior Forrest Dodson of Kalamazoo, samples, turntable and bass clarinet; freshman Palmer D’Orazio of Clarkston, alto saxophone; junior Michael Graverson of Hamilton, guitar; sophomore Jake Kalmink of Zeeland, baritone saxophone; sophomore Matthew Milliken of Roscommon, tenor saxophone; junior Christian Nikkel of Holland, guitar; senior Luke Panning of Holland, violin; freshman Colin Rensch of Kalamazoo, percussion; senior Michael Reynolds of Tampa, Fla., piano; junior Meghan Stagl of Deerfield, Ill., vocals; freshman Matt Tallman of York, Pa., percussion; and senior Wayne Titus of Canton, drums.
The jazz chamber ensembles afford students the opportunity to perform in the classic small group combo setting. The ensembles vary in size and instrumentation and place a creative focus on improvisation and group communication. All of the ensembles perform works from the classic jazz repertoire. The more advanced jazz chamber ensembles also perform repertoire from the contemporary jazz world. These ensembles also place an emphasis on original student and faculty compositions. All ensembles are coached by members of the Hope jazz faculty. The jazz chamber ensembles are open to anyone interested, regardless of experience with jazz.
The Jazz Arts Collective is the premier large jazz ensemble at Hope College. The collective places a creative focus on ensemble communication and improvisation. Comprised of a rhythm section and flexible wind/string instrumentation, this select group performs compositions and arrangements from across the full spectrum of music. The collective’s repertoire ranges from the great historical jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, to works by modern jazz masters like Vince Mendoza, Jim McNeely and John Hollenbeck. The Jazz Arts Collective frequently performs commissions, works by emerging young composers, and originals by Hope faculty and students. The ensemble also collectively reinterprets and re-imagines the music from the 20th century classical repertoire.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street.