Jan 23 2013

JanFest follow-up

JanFest at the University of Georgia

Hodgson Concert Hall

A full house at Hodgson Concert Hall for JanFest

I had a wonderful experience in Athens, Georgia over the weekend at JanFest. My ensemble included over 20 flutes, 6 oboes, 6 bassoons, 30+ clarinets, 4 bass clarinets, 1 contrabass clarinet, 16 alto saxes, 4 tenor saxes, 4 bari saxes, 20+ trumpets, 16 horns, 20+ trombones, 6 euphoniums, 10 tubas, and 8 percussionists. It was a unique experience, working with this large group, who met on campus for the first time on Friday, sight-read the music on Friday morning, and performed on Sunday. The 6+ hour concert included 8 bands: 3 honor bands (placed by audition), and 5 clinic bands (made up of the remaining personnel. 1900 student applied to perform, 1200 were accepted, and 1125 actually attended. It was a massive undertaking, and I was astounded at the organization and flow of the entire weekend.

The Ebersole Clinic Band - 160 members

My Clinic Band – 160 members, assembled from the Atlanta/Athens area

I was very pleased to meet and have a chance to share some collegial time with the other conductors: Dr. John Lynch, University of Georgia; Dr. Caroline Beatty, Texas State University; Dr. Corey Spurlin, Auburn University; Dr. Joshua Byrd, University of West Georgia; Scott Jones, University of Georgia; Dr. David Kehler, Kennesaw State University; and Dr. Albert Nguyen, University of Memphis. (Yes, I was the only Yankee!) The time spent between rehearsals discussing literature and other aspects of the profession was invaluable. And I formed some tremendous professional associations with these outstanding conductors.

The progress of my ensemble was just amazing. The students worked diligently, although they did not have any chance to practice between rehearsals. There were concerts by featured Georgia high school bands in between all the rehearsals!  The band members were polite, respectful, and diligent, and we only took one break in all those hours of rehearsal over 4 days. And my band played beautifully at the concert, earning a standing ovation and accolades from the other conductors.

I have great memories from this milestone experience!

Curt Ebersole

Curt Ebersole is a resident of White Plains, New York, where he is active as a music educator, conductor, clarinetist, and public speaker. In between musical activities he enjoys photography, cycling, napping on the beach, Wordpress web publishing, Bullet Journaling, and riding America’s fastest and tallest roller coasters.