The Hope College Jazz Arts Collective will perform with the college’s Contemporary Ensemble and Mainstream Ensemble on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The Jazz Arts Collective is the premier large jazz ensemble at Hope. 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 College faculty and students. The ensemble also collectively reinterprets and re-imagines the music from the 20th century classical repertoire.
The students in the collective are: junior Ivan Akansiima of Holland, piano; junior Jamie Baarman of Holland, voice; senior Carsten Forester of Holland, guitar; sophomore Quinn Humphrey of Byron Center, drums; freshman Michael Girman of Valparaiso, Indiana, saxophones; junior Josiah Panning of Holland, bass; senior Colin Rensch of Kalamazoo, keyboard; sophomore Nick Rozema of Kenosha, Wisconsin, trumpet; and freshman Evan Vogel of Des Plaines, Illinois, trombone/samples. The group is directed by Brian Coyle, who is a professor of music and director of jazz studies.
The Contemporary Ensemble and Mainstream Ensemble are among several jazz chamber ensembles at Hope that 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 of the ensembles are coached by members of the Hope College jazz faculty. The jazz chamber ensembles are open to anyone interested, regardless of experience with jazz.
The students in the Contemporary Ensemble are Ivan Akansiima, guitar; Carsten Forester, bass; sophomore Jack Miller of Western Springs, Illinois, drums; and junior Shelby Rhodes of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, vocals. The Contemporary Ensemble is coached by Coyle.
The students in the Mainstream Ensemble are Ivan Akansiima, piano; Quinn Humphrey, drums; and Josiah Panning, bass. The Mainstream Ensemble is coached by Robert Hodson, who is a professor of music, head of music theory and member of the jazz-studies faculty.
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.