Southwest Baptist
University News Release
Contact:
Charlotte Marsch, Director of Marketing and Communications
(417)
328-1803 / cmarsch@sbuniv.edu
SBU
students chosen for Small College Intercollegiate Band
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Four students from
Southwest Baptist University traveled to the University of North Carolina in
Greensboro to perform with The 2013 Small College Intercollegiate Band March
23.
The
group included more than 80 auditioned musicians representing 46 schools from
across the nation. More than 260 students representing 53 schools applied for
admission into the ensemble. SBU was one of two small colleges representing Missouri.
The concert on March 23 was part of the biennial convention of the College Band
Directors National Association attended by their Wind Symphony conductor, Dr.
Brian Hopwood.
Students
participating were Lauren Asbery playing clarinet, a senior Music Education
major from Bentonville, Ark.; Morgan Katz playing trumpet, a junior Music major
from Hampton, Iowa; Lucas McLaughlin playing trombone, a senior Music and Math
major from St. Joseph; and Matt Hopwood playing percussion, a junior Music
Education major from Bolivar.
“It
was an honor and a very rewarding experience,” McLaughlin said. “I've
participated in a lot of honor bands, but I've never played in a group this
good. Excellent musicians from small colleges around the country gathered
together to make this band, and it was a great-sounding group.”
The
group was under the direction of Craig Kirchoff, Professor of Conducting and
Director of University Bands at the University of Minnesota where he conducts
the University Wind Ensemble and guest conducts in the University Opera
Program.
The students were impressed with Kirchoff’s
ability.
“It was an amazing experience to play with so
many extraordinary players,” Asbery said. “I learned so
much from working with Professor Kirchoff.”
Matt Hopwood added, “I've
never played under a conductor with as much presence and expressivity as
Professor Kirchoff. The music that he could summon from the ensemble with his
facial expressions alone was astonishingly profound!”
Musical
selections included “Armenian Folk Song and Dance” by Aram Khachaturian,
“Olympic Fireworks” by David Stanhope, “Sheltering Sky” by John Mackey, “Danzón
No. 2” by Arturo Márquez, “My Jesus! Oh, What Anguish” by J.S. Bach, and “First
Suite in Eb, Op. 28 No. 1” by Gustav Holst.
Morgan Katz agreed that SCIB was
“a wonderful experience. I learned a lot from Professor Kirchoff's direction,
and I enjoyed attending the evening concerts put on by bands from other
colleges.”
A
video of the performance will be archived at http://www.banddirector.com/article/pg-concert-band/cbdna-2013-national-conference-/productguide/534 and will be
available sometime in early May.
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Southwest
Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating
Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at
an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic
community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For
more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
