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Maryville College’s MC3 Band prepares to take its final bow of the academic year at April 28 concert

April 20, 2026

On the final Tuesday in April, the MC3 Band, under the direction of MC3 Band Director Jay Romines, will present another astounding performance. 

Originally christened as the Maryville College Community Concert Band, the MC3 Band was established in 1992 by Music Professor Dr. Larry Smithee and uses symphonic band instrumentation to perform repertoire from the entire scope of the wind band tradition.

But part of what makes the MC3 Band so special is not only its talent, but its variety of musicians. The MC3 band consists of current working musicians, educators, high school and college students, business professionals and retirees from throughout East Tennessee.

“MC3 is a diverse group,” Romines said. “Even with an expansive age group of 15- to 73-year-olds, the MC3 band works well together and helps each other. It is my great pleasure to work with them. It’s a very exciting group.”

According to Romines, this large ensemble rehearses 13 to 15 times over the course of several Wednesdays in preparation for their concert. 

Although this spring’s performance will have no specific theme, the band will present a wide variety of musical styles for the performers and audience to enjoy, according to Romines. 

The group will perform “The Liberty Bell March,” an American military march composed by John Philip Sousa, and an arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Little Fugue.” As a more dramatic and chilling piece, this song is much different from “The Liberty Bell March,” ensuring concert-goers get to listen to an assortment of varied sounds.

“We will also perform ‘Urban Light’ by James David, ‘Four Scottish Dances’ by Malcom Arnold and end with ‘MacArthur Park’ by Jimmy Webb,” Romines said. 

The concert will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. The performance is free and open to the public.

— Written by McKenna Marr ’28

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.”