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Dickinson Bands Present Spring Concert


The Dickinson College Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band kicked off the 2011 end-of-semester performance season with an April 8 concert at the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium.

The Jazz Ensemble showcased its improv chops when it riffed on pieces by jazz greats Count Basie, Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael and Louis Prima. The Symphonic Band rounded out the evening with works by contemporary composers from two hemispheres: Americans Mark Camphouse, David Del Tredici and Paul Basler and Japanese composer/author/educator Yasuhide Ito.

Because the ensembles are open to students, faculty and all qualifying members of the campus and local communities, students performed side-by-side with professional musicians and other experienced instrumentalists. Together, these multigenerational groups present two concerts in each academic year.


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  • The 16-member Dickinson College Jazz Ensemble warms up.
    Jazz Ensemble
  • Ron Axsom, contributing faculty, trombone, belts out a solo. Axsom has performed with John Pizzarelli, Joe Morello, Steve Turre, the Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners, The Lettermen, Marie Osmond, Neil Sedaka, Shirley Jones, Ben Vereen, Ralph Carmichael and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, among others.
    Ron Axsom
  • Students, faculty and Carlisle-community members perform together in the jazz  band.
    Brass Section
  • Michael Clayville, director of bands, introduces the next piece.  Clayville has directed Dickinson's bands since 2007. He also is an adjunct professor of music at Messiah College, where he teaches trombone and courses on American popular music and music theory.
    Michael Clayville
  • Ryan Karr '13, a double-major in music and economics, performs on the tenor sax.
    Ryan Karr '13
  • David Stallings, contributing faculty in double-bass, lays down a bass line.
    David Stallings
  • Christopher Striker '13, who majors in medieval & early-modern English, anchors the rythm section.
    Christopher Striker '13
  • Pianist Paul Bratcher tickles the ivories.
    Paul Bratcher
The 16-member Dickinson College Jazz Ensemble warms up.Prev ImageNext Image

By MaryAlice Bitts Jackson
Photos by Jen Crowley '12