KELCI PASCOE
The Corsair
The Ashmore Auditorium is the center of many exciting musical events. Some of the most enthralling events that take place here are student-lead musical productions. Thursday, Oct. 8, the PJC Wind and Jazz Ensembles, which consist entirely of students, performed their first ensemble of the musical season.
The first half of the evening consisted of a marvelous array of wind instruments, all harmoniously in sync, creating a sound that is not soon to be forgotten.
The wind ensemble has been a part of PJC for quite some time.
Don Snowden, PJC director of bands and the wind ensemble conductor said, “We have had a band or wind ensemble since the early 1960’s. This is a college credit class that is needed for instrumental music majors.”
The band members of the wind ensemble sound like they have been together for much longer than they actually have been.
“This group of performers has been together since the beginning of the term, about six weeks,” Snowden said.
The wind performance consisted of three main musical selections: Black Horse Troop, Nessun Dorma, and Ngoma Da Kenya. Some of the names of these selections may be familiar.
“I wanted to select a diverse program, hence the march, an Italian opera aria and music of Africa,” Snowden said. “On our next concert in December, we will focus on one composer, Brant Karrick and perform music of this Kentucky Composer.”
The second half of the production consisted of the jazz ensemble. Each jazz selection was played with such tangible fervor that it pulled the listeners in from the first few minutes. The music was both gripping and entertaining.
The Jazz Ensemble has also been a part of PJC for a long time.
“The Jazz Ensemble was begun by James Etherton in 1968. When he resigned from Escambia High School during the teacher’s strike, he got the band director job at PJC and brought several Escambia graduates with him that enjoyed playing jazz. It is now a college credit course,” Snowden said.
A wide selection of jazz pieces were performed including John Coltrane’s “Blue Train,” Gordon Goodwin’s “Count Bubba” and even a Latin inspired piece by Johnny Richards called “La Suerte De Los Tontos.”
Each piece included at least one solo by some of the jazz ensemble members. Alto saxophone player Ashley Bowers, tenor saxophone players Clint Andrews and Nicholas Sincere, bass player Walter Weakley, trumpet players David Polk and Tyler Easterling, trombone players Jackson Willis and Andrew Bartlett, and guitar player Sean Malkasian are just some of the students who performed some magnificent solos during these pieces.
The conductor of the Jazz Ensemble, Roger Villines, and conductor of the Wind Ensemble, Don Snowden, knew exactly how to showcase all of these talented students. And each student knew how to follow Villines and Snowden’s instructions effectively and carried them out with palpable enthusiasm.
Each set of performers worked well together and played with evident passion and a love for music.
“Several of the performers are music majors but some are students that don’t want to waste their musical talent after becoming proficient on their instruments in High School,” Snowden said. “Most students are on a scholarship of some form or another.”
Snowden, as the director of bands, has a large list of responsibilities.
“I have been director of bands here at PJC since 1987,” Snowden said. “As conductor, I recruit in the High Schools for new students, select music for each concert, prepare the music, prepare press releases and programs, conduct concerts, etc.”
The students that are a part of these ensembles have a rigorous rehearsal schedule.
“We have rehearsals for fifty minutes per day, Monday through Thursday, so we are able to prepare them properly,” Snowden said.
These musical ensembles are always interested in having a few new additions to their list of performers.
“We would love to have more students, they need to just stop by to see me in building 8, The Ashmore Auditorium, or e-mail me at dsnowden@pjc.edu, or call me at (850) 484-1800,” Snowden said.