MUSIC FEST AT GSC AN AUDIENCE HIT

(10/15/2009)

The well-known GSC bluegrass band performs. With a traditional
single-microphone set-up, one guitar player, Josh Chapman, was
squeezed out of the photo. Glenville's Dean of Bluegrass, Buddy
Griffin says, GSC is the only 4-year college in the U.S. offering
a teaching-performance degree with a specialization in bluegrass.

Story and photos by Drew Moody

Glenville State College's Music Fest, Tuesday evening, packed the fine arts auditorium to near capacity. Attendance was enthusiastically bolstered by students from several middle and high schools from throughout the state.

All nine of Glenville's music divisions were featured including: the jazz band, chamber singers, brass ensemble, concert choir, percussion ensemble, woodwind ensemble, the bluegrass band and the GSC Pioneer marching band.

Each group performed two numbers.

(Left) The ever popular percussion
ensemble performed a Led Zepplin medley

(Right) members of the ensemble as they perform 'The Comedian's
Galop.' John McKinnery is the director; Cheryl McKinney is the pianist.

Three of these talented students were featured in six of the nine groups. They are: Courtney Clevenger, James Messenger and Stephanie Sumner.

Performing in five groups are: Mary Sue Bailey, Kenneth Noland, Jessica Patterson, Catisha Scavairello and Jared Young.

About 80-or-so students at GSC are currently part of the music education program at the school.

The GSC marching band closed out the evening performing a David R. Holsinger overture arranged by student musician, Charlie Powell of St. Mary's.

(Left) Lloyd Bone, chair of the Fine Arts Department, visits
with the audience between numbers. His enthusiasm is contagious.
Despite being a well-known musician in his own right, he could
certainly have a dual career as he's a natural emcee.

(Right) Teresa Doty, GSC choir and chamber singers director
mixed music with humor to the delight of the crowd. While a
soloist ably tackled an otherwise serious piece, his fellow singers
took off on comical harmony with this group singing like birds.