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Youth groups, MC Concert Choir, Community Chorus, MC3 Band and Orchestra set rehearsal start times for spring semester

Spring rehearsals for the second half of the 2022-23 academic year begin this month for Maryville College’s community music ensembles.

All ensembles, according to Dr. Eric Simpson — associate professor of music and director of bands at MC — are open to membership by community members who play and sing alongside students in each organization. The result is a stronger, more collaborative performance group that offers opportunities for both demographics.

“Music making is a great way to connect people, and these community ensembles allow students and community members to connect in a way that they otherwise would not,” Simpson said. “A lot of our students develop relationships with community members that lead to mentorship and sometimes even jobs, and that’s a really valuable experience for them. And then community members get to connect with an undergraduate campus that is really its own unique cultural experience.”

Maryville College Youth Choirs to hold auditions

The Maryville College Youth Choirs will resume rehearsals on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The ensembles include the Scottie Singers, for students in grades three through seven; and the Highlander Chorale, for students in grades eight through 12.

Rehearsals for the Scottie Singers take place from 4-4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays, and the Highlander Chorale practices from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. For the auditions, no students will be turned away, but the process allows for one-on-one assessment with Hannah White Strong ’18, the director of the MC Youth Choirs, to assist with voice placement and repertoire selections.

For additional information, email Strong at hannah.strong@maryvillecollege.edu. Online youth choir registration can be found at https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/choral-programs/youth-choirs/.

Maryville College Community Chorus begins rehearsals Jan. 17

The Maryville College Community Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Dwight Dockery ’05, will begin spring rehearsals at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Harry H. Harter Choral Rehearsal Room at the Clayton Center for the Arts. Rehearsals take place from 7-9 p.m. every Tuesday, and the chorus is open to all area singers of all talent levels above the age of 16. Music reading experience is helpful but not required. Registration for the choir will be at the first rehearsal.

This established chorus of over 50 singers has a strong tradition of presenting quality choral music of various styles and genres and often features the music of area composers and arrangers, as well as the classic gems of the masters.

For more information, contact Stacey Wilner, director of choral activities at Maryville College, at stacey.wilner@maryvillecollege.edu.

MC3 Band begins rehearsals Jan. 18

The MC3 Band, under the direction of Jay Romines, will begin spring rehearsals at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. Rehearsals will be held on Wednesdays from 7 until 9 p.m. in the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus. The ensemble’s spring concert will take place at 7 p.m. April 20.

Area musicians who play a wind or percussion instrument are encouraged to audition. Serious high school participants are also welcome. Band members include working musicians, educators, college students, business professionals and retirees from throughout East Tennessee.

New community members may be required to complete a successful audition to join the ensemble. For additional details or to schedule an audition, please complete the form at: www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/instrumental-programs/inquiry/.

Orchestra at MC begins rehearsals Jan. 23

The Orchestra at Maryville College, under the director of Dr. Ace Edewards, begins rehearsing at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, in the Clayton Center for the Arts, with a spring concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 25.

Rehearsals will be held on Mondays from 7 until 9 p.m. in the Clayton Center. The Orchestra at Maryville College uses standard woodwind/brass instrumentation. Audition requirements for wind players/percussionists include scales, standard orchestra excerpts and sight-reading. String players are not required to audition.

Interested instrumental musicians may submit an inquiry via the Maryville College website at www.maryvillecollege.edu/academics/divisions/fine-arts/instrumental-programs/inquiry/.

For audition requirements, interested wind players/percussionists should contact Simpson at eric.simpson@maryvillecollege.edu.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”