Romines, Edewards named as new conductors of Maryville College instrumental ensembles
Aug. 25, 2022
Conducting batons are changing hands this fall at Maryville College, as two new faces will take the helm of both the MC3 Band and the Orchestra at Maryville College when both organizations make their 2022-2023 concert debuts in November.
Representatives of the MC Division of Fine Arts announced this week that Dr. Ace Edewards has been selected as conductor of the Orchestra at Maryville College, and Jay Romines has been tapped to lead the MC3 Band.
“These are different guys bringing in different levels of excitement about different music,” said Dr. Eric Simpson, associate professor of music and director of bands at MC, who will focus more of his time on directing the Tartanband and the newly formed MC Pep Band.
“It’s not like, given that orchestral music has a 400- or 500-year history, that we can get someone who knows it all,” he added. “Different people love different parts of it, and we know they both will bring to the table something exciting about the way they approach the parts of it they love.”
Edewards, Simpson said, brings a background in conducting both symphonies and opera performances, having worked with both the Marble City Opera and Knoxville Opera. In addition, he’s the founding conductor of the Scruffy City Orchestra, also based in Knoxville, and local listeners of WUOT-FM’s “Afternoon Concert” radio show will recognize him as a former producer and host of that classical program.
“He’s got a very well-rounded background,” Simpson said. “One of the nice things he brings to the role is his opera background. I don’t have a background that incorporates a lot of that literature, but he’s done a lot of classic operatic work, so there’s the potential for some really cool collaborations between him and some of the vocal faculty here, and he’s excited about that.”
Originally founded in 1916 at the College Orchestra, the traditional symphony performs three times each academic year with a combined membership of MC students and community members. Orchestra at Maryville College rehearsals begin Sept. 12 in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus, and the first performance will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 8, also in the Clayton Center, alongside the Maryville College Community Chorus.
“My family and I love calling East Tennessee our home,” Edewards said. “I am excited for this opportunity to invest in the students of Maryville College and look forward to making beautiful music with this Orchestra.”
The MC3 Band — originally established as the Maryville College-Community Concert Band — is also a group of community, faculty, staff and student performers who perform traditional wind band compositions using a symphonic band instrumentation. Founded in 1992, the MC3 Band will now be led by Jay Romines, who has served as the band director of Knoxville Catholic High School for 22 years.
A saxophonist by trade, Romines has served as the College’s sax teacher for several years, according to Simpson, which gives him prior knowledge of the MC Division of Fine Arts and its associated bands.
“He’s qualified to meet the needs of the students but also the needs of the community musicians who are involved,” Simpson said. “With both of these groups, it can be very tricky, because it’s not just a group of student musicians. The nice thing about bringing in Jay is that he has long-running ties to this community and this area. If you run into somebody who plays saxophone in Blount or Knox counties, chances are good they know Jay.”
“I am very excited to begin working with members of the MC3 Band,” Romines added. “The high standards they have set in performance and literature are well known in our area. It is my great privilege to be a part of this organization, and I look forward to meeting each of them as we start our new season.”
The MC3 Band begins rehearsals at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre. The ensemble’s inaugural performance with Romines as conductor will take place Nov. 3 in the same facility. In the meantime, Simpson said, he’ll continue to act as the College’s unofficial instrumental music ambassador, prepare the Tartanband for its Nov. 11 season debut and get the Pep Band up and running in time for the MC Scots football home season, which debuts Sept. 3 on Honaker Field.
“This will allow me to shift to the Pep Band right away,” Simpson said. “We’re doing some cool new recruiting things this year, and with these two very qualified conductors joining us, I’ll have more time to plan and coordinate.”
For more information about joining the Orchestra at Maryville College, visit: https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/instrumental-programs/For more information about joining the MC3 Band, visit: https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/mc3band/