MC3 Band fall concert set for Nov. 2 at the Clayton Center for the Arts
Oct. 12, 2023
Fine arts patrons and fans of the MC3 Band get a treat this fall: two concerts by the ensemble, including the next one on the schedule, slated for Nov. 2 at the Clayton Center for the Arts on the Maryville College campus.
On Sept. 24, members of the group — initially launched as the Maryville College-Community Concert Band — came together to perform as smaller chamber-sized ensembles, including a flute choir, a brass choir, a saxophone ensemble and more. On Nov. 2, according to Director Jay Romines, audience members will be treated to the full-throated majesty of the MC3 Band.
“The first concert was a great success,” Romines said. “We hope to continue our chamber music concerts next semester. The group continues to play at a very high level, and as we spend more time together in rehearsal, we are developing our concept of tone and musicality, which is an ever-changing process.”
For the MC3 Band’s fall concert, the musicians will perform “Invercargill March,” composed by Alex Lithgow in 1901 and named after his hometown in New Zealand; two songs by Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, “Irish Tune from County Derry” and “Shepherd’s Hey”; “Kol Nidrei,” a composition for cello and orchestra by Max Bruch and featuring Ryan Bright on alto saxophone; “Armenian Dances,” a suite consisting of Armenian folk songs written for concert band by Alfred Reed; and “Mambo,” the classic Latin American dance number written by Leonard Bernstein for “West Side Story.”
The MC3 Band was established in 1992 by the late Dr. Larry Smithee, an associate professor of music at Maryville College who directed it until his retirement in 2012. What began as a small group of mostly high school marching band veterans grew under his tenure into an ensemble of more than 60 musicians that performs multiple concerts per year and includes working musicians, educators, high school and college students, business professionals and retirees from the local community.
Today, the group continues to perform traditional wind band compositions using symphonic band instrumentation, and in fall 2022, Romines came on board as conductor. A saxophonist by trade, he’s served as the College’s sax teacher for several years and has been the band director of Knoxville Catholic High School for 22 years.
Under his leadership, the number of participating high school musicians has grown, he said, and now numbers roughly a dozen, including players from nearby Maryville and Heritage high schools.
“The college and high school students who perform with us add a great energy to the ensemble,” he said. “I speak for the group when I say that we enjoy playing together.”
In addition to this fall’s two performances, the MC3 Band is slated for two spring shows as well, on Feb. 11 and April 7, 2024. And the more the group plays together, Romines said, the more they want to do so.
“If I may, after a full season, I find that we are growing into a great representation of the musical talent our community and schools offer in Blount County and Knox County,” he said.
The MC3 Band’s fall concert will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public.