Southern Utah University’s music department has always aimed to educate and entertain audiences from the student body to the general public. Their agenda this year is no different, and they have already begun their plans for the semester.
To kick off the events, the SUU High School Honor Band performed Jan. 5-6. Three hundred students auditioned to perform in two bands directed by Adam Lambert and professor David Torres, respectively. These students represented 41 different high schools across four states.
Later in the month, Alternate Currents, a commercial music ensemble directed by McKay Tebbs, was accepted to perform at the 2024 National Association of Music Merchants show in Anaheim, California, on Jan. 26. This performance took place on the main outdoor stage in front of thousands of people.
The next event on the schedule will be just in time for Valentine’s Day. Jazz Ensemble One will host the Valentine Spring Swing Thing, a night of 1940s swing dancing in the Hunter Alumni Center’s Great Hall. James Sage and Toni Sage will give instruction on basic dance moves starting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 The event is free, but donations are accepted since the event is in part a fundraiser.
The Commercial Music Festival will take place Feb. 16-17 and will feature special guest artist Joseph Wooten. Alternate Currents and the SUU Concert Choir will perform their concert “Fly Like An Eagle” alongside Wooten on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Center Theater. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Wooten will give a master class on the music industry at 2 p.m. and an artist concert at 3 p.m. in the Thorley Recital Hall of the SUU Music Building.
SUU will host the 10th annual SUU Jazz Festival on Feb. 24 with over 200 high school students in attendance. The event will culminate with an exciting evening concert featuring Jazz Ensemble One with guest artist Richard Smith. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center and is free to the public.
SUU Opera will present “Carmen” March 29-30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center. Their performance will involve a majority of the music department as vocalists and instrumentals come together for this classic opera.
April 3 will mark both Jazz Ensemble One’s and Jazz Ensemble Two’s piece in their Masterwork Series. This event is set to feature student and faculty jazz musicians Jazz Ensemble Two is now under the direction of the music department’s newest faculty member and Director of Woodwinds Trevor Davis from Louisiana Tech University.
The SUU Choirs and Orchestra Concert in the Masterwork Series will take place on April 12. SUU’s choirs are directed by Andrew Briggs and professor Kristin Briggs, while the Symphony Orchestra is directed by Xun Sun. The combined groups will be performing Gioachino Rossini’s “Stabat Mater.”
The following day, April 13, the Wind Symphony and the newly formed Symphonic Band Concert will close the Masterworks series by performing music featuring some of SUU’s best instrumentalists.
For further information and details on any of these events, view the SUU events calendar.
Author: Shay Wilkey
Photos courtesy of the SUU Music Department
Editor: Tessa Cheshire
arts@suunews.net
