Synergy Brass Quintet concert, jazz festival Monday

In addition to the annual CSC Jazz Festival for high school and junior high students, the Synergy Brass Quintet will be on campus to perform its installment of the Galaxy Series. The jazz festival will take place during the day, and the Synergy Brass Quintet will perform at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

Ten groups from eight area schools have signed up for the jazz festival. Registered participants include the high schools of Alliance, Alliance St. Agnes, Bayard, Chadron, Gering, Hay Springs, Hot Springs, S.D., and Gering Junior High. The groups include swing choirs, show choirs, jazz bands and jazz ensembles.

The schools will perform from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with jazz groups in Memorial Hall and show choirs in the Student Center. Each session is open to the public free of charge. Synergy is scheduled to perform for the students and provide a special guest clinic Monday afternoon. The festival attendees also will see performances from CSC’s vocal jazz and jazz ensembles.

Dr. Michael Stephens, who is coordinating the festival with office assistant Judy Rutter, said the event is dedicated to the encouragement of instrumental and vocal jazz in schools.

“Its purpose is to foster a non-competitive, positive and supportive learning environment for jazz groups of all skill levels,” Stephens said.

Clinicians for the festival include CSC music faculty members Dr. Sandy Schaefer, Dr. Joel Schreuder, Dr. Adam Lambert, Charles Carey, Dr. Una Taylor and CSC student Jon Marquez of Alliance.

The Synergy Brass Quintet, which is from Chestertown, Md., boasts that it “performs more concerts than anyone in classical music today, averaging nearly 300 engagements per year.”

In addition to its many performances, the group strives to inspire a passion for music in youth and has presented programs at more than 500 public schools from coast to coast. It also has presented master classes and events at more than 10 colleges and conservatories.

Tickets for Synergy Brass Quintet’s performance Monday night may be reserved by contacting the CSC box office at 308-432-6360 or boxoffice@csc.edu. If available, tickets may be purchased at the door prior to the event.