The Potomac State College/Community Jazz Ensemble will host a big band jazz festival on Wednesday, April 8, beginning at 6:30 pm. The program, which will feature area school jazz ensembles, will be held in the newly renovated Church-McKee Arts Center on the campus of WVU Potomac State College.
Participating school bands this year are from Mt. Savage Middle, Braddock Middle, Allegany High, Mountain Ridge High, and Fort Hill High School. The festival host, PSC Jazz Ensemble, will also perform during the program.
“This year, all the schools are from Allegany County in Maryland. We have two middle school bands and three high school bands scheduled this year, which involves about 75 students. Each band has 20 minutes on stage to present their best repertoire,” said the show’s musical director, Fred Kesner. “The Potomac State College/Community Jazz Ensemble will perform three pieces at the end of the concert. The concert is usually well attended, with parents and relatives of the performers in the audience. The festival has developed into a popular annual event that has showcased many young musicians and their bands over the past several years.”
The community is invited and welcome to attend this free concert, which continues to support music programs in area public schools.
“It is always interesting and even exciting to see the different levels of performance from the middle schools, who are just beginning to study jazz, to the high schools, and then the professional sound of the PSC band with its accomplished soloists,” Kesner said. “The PSC Jazz Invitational Concert is an annual event that provides an opportunity for area school jazz bands to perform for each other.”
This performance marks the reopening of the Church McKee Arts Center. The 900-seat auditorium has been closed since September for two phases of renovations to the theatre rigging system, the installation of new curtains, and upgrades to the stage and lighting. With Phase One of the project now complete, performances can now resume. Phase Two of the renovations is set to begin after Commencement on May 9.
The renovation also offers a meaningful way to honor a loved one or to commemorate a special memory while directly supporting the arts with a personalized plaque placed on a seat in the theater for a donation of $250. For more information on sponsoring a seat at the Church-McKee Arts Center at WVU Potomac State College, please contact Dr. Megan Webb, Director of Development at Potomac State College, at psc-officeofdevelopment@mail.wvu.edu.