Musicians to Offer Workshop for UMass Lowell Students Before Show
02/25/2014
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – The Greater Lowell community will get a rare chance to hear some of the world’s most accomplished musicians when the U.S. Marine Corps Jazz Ensemble performs at UMass Lowell on Thursday, March 6.
Comprised of Marine musicians stationed all over the country, the jazz group is part of the Marine Corps Music Program, which consists of 10 bands throughout the world. Known as “the President’s Own,” Marine bands and ensembles perform for heads of state, foreign dignitaries, military leaders and the American public. The jazz ensemble asked to perform at UMass Lowell as part of the septet’s one-time tour of the Northeast.
The free concert – to be held at 7:30 p.m. at UMass Lowell’s Durgin Concert Hall – will pay tribute to jazz as an American art form. Musical selections will include some of the genre’s standards, original compositions and a work commissioned for the group that was written by award-winning composer Anita Brown. The venue is located at 35 Wilder St. on UMass Lowell’s South Campus and free parking is located nearby in the Wilder lot. Tickets are not required for admission to the event, which is presented by the university’s Music Department.
Before the evening performance, members of the Marine Corps Jazz Ensemble will lead a workshop for more than 350 UMass Lowell music students who are enrolled in the university’s music education, music business, performance and sound recording technology programs.
The honor of becoming a corps performer is akin to an aspiring professional athlete being called up to the major leagues, said Debra-Nicole Huber, UMass Lowell’s director of instrumental music outreach and associate director of university bands.
Over the years, several UMass Lowell students have successfully auditioned for the Marine Corps Band, including corps member and clarinet player Daniel Knobel, who recently completed boot camp and military training on his way to attending Marine music school. Generally, it takes about two years before a recruit accepted into the Marine Corps Music Program joins fellow musicians on tour, according to Huber.
“That our music department provided the training for a musician to earn a position with the U.S. Marine Corps Band – one of the finest musical ensembles in the country – is of extraordinary significance. Entrance auditions are extremely competitive, national in scope and selections are made from the best in the country,” she said. “We are proud of Daniel Knobel and UMass Lowell students like him who have followed their passions and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.”
The first public institution in the U.S. to offer a music-education degree, UMass Lowell today offers a wealth of courses to aspiring musicians, music business professionals, music teachers and recording engineers. Its outreach programs for young musicians include the nationally acclaimed New England Youth Wind Ensembles, which feature a significant wind-band commissioning program of new works and world premieres and the Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp, a summer honors music program for teenagers.
More than 1,450 student-veterans attend UMass Lowell, which has been named a military-friendly institution by GI Jobs magazine. Home to award-winning Army and Air Force ROTC programs, the university helps current and former military personnel pursue their education, offering career training programs and other assistance in coordination with its Office of Veterans Services and Student Veterans Organization.
Members of the public who have questions about the March 6 concert may contact Huber at DebraNicole_Huber@uml.edu.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu