The Hillsdale College Big Band performed at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival this past weekend for the first time in 20 years.
Last Saturday, the group traveled to Elmhurst, Illinois, where they played with several other colleges. Director of Jazz Studies Chris McCourry, the band director, said Hillsdale was on par with other schools that performed at the festival, including Ohio State University, Western Michigan University, and Central Michigan University.
Juniors Luke Zahari and Gianna Marchese both received Outstanding Individual Musician Awards at the festival. Marchese, who sings with the Big Band, said she was grateful to be a part of the group and impressed by its work.
“I was really honored that such fine musicians as the judges thought that I was deserving of it, especially seeing the caliber of other students from other colleges receiving the same award,” Marchese said.
The Big Band represented Hillsdale College against several larger institutions.
“We were up against some really big schools,” she said. “We were followed by Ohio State, so for little Hillsdale to come in and impress a lot of frequent festival-goers, I think that speaks a lot for our program here.”
The judges gave Zahari an Outstanding Performance Award for his trumpet performance.
“Being recognized at a festival as prestigious as Elmhurst is a surreal experience,” Zahari, who has been playing at jazz festivals since seventh grade, said.
The Big Band’s entire brass section received high praise from the judges.
“We got a lot of comments that our trumpet section was phenomenal,” sophomore trombone player Julia Hoyda said.
Before taking the stage at Elmhurst, the Big Band also performed at a GOP rally Friday night. The event encouraged DuPage County residents to vote in local elections, but did not endorse any specific politician.
Hoyda said the Friday night set consisted of classic ’40s and ’50s big band music from the band’s dance books. The Saturday songs were more contemporary, according to sophomore drummer Dean Sinclair. The band’s competition performance expanded beyond jazz to include rock, Latin, and swing music
“We did incredibly well for the fact that none of us are music majors and we come from a school of this size,” Sinclair said.
The band members also met professional jazz musicians when they attended a masterclass hosted by trombonist Michael Davis, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and trumpeter Scott Wendholt. Later Saturday night, the students watched a performance by the three-time Grammy-nominated Bob Mintzer Big Band.
All agreed that this year’s trip was a smashing success.
“We plan on attending in the future,” McCourry said.
