Student ensembles illustrate multiple cultures in one concert

As a person got closer to the Marsh center at noon, they began to hear the echoing thud of the drums. It was followed by the lighthearted and spirited childlike energy of the woodwind ensemble, which in turn was countered with the full sound of the majestic brass.
The jazz group was what a person would expect, illustrating the sassiness of the saxophone, quirkiness of the trombones, blatancy of the drum set, agreement of the piano and bass and romanticizing of the trumpet.
To end on a loud hurrah, the pipe and drum band exuded the bagpipes obnoxious and yet admirably proud tones, depicting an unyielding, Braveheart-esque portrait. The audience’s claps of approval were evident at the end of each travel in place and time throughout the cultural collection encompassed in the event’s program.
“The beauty of ensemble music is that it can be both poetic and practical,” said Dr. Ronda DePriest, associate professor of instrumental music and the director of the music program. “The poetic side is in the same connection of painting a picture. With the percussion, you really got a sense of the West African drumming. You got the opposite with the pipe band. You’re getting a culture full of music in one concert. That’s the spice of life.”
The purpose of chamberworks ensembles is to create more one-on-one opportunities between students and instructors. Chamberwork concerts offer a different repertoire than larger ensembles and DePriest said that small ensembles give music majors a chance to practice a different repertoire.
“A lot of people want to keep playing and singing but they don’t have the time to participate in the larger ensemble,” said DePriest. “It [chamberworks ensembles] is an area that calls for teamwork. As an individual student, sometimes you lose sight of how you mix with the ensemble.”
Senior music major Phil Hurd, who participates in the drum, jazz and pipe and drum ensembles, said being part of a smaller ensemble is much different from being in a band.
“There’s a lot of community in the smaller groups,” said Hurd. “It’s exhilarating for me and calming at the same time.”
Hurd said he has benefited from performing at Waynesburg.
The more he performs, the more he practices. The balance between professionalism and community is huge and something that Hurd has been able to find here.
To better understand what describes chamberworks ensembles, Hurd used the words entertaining, intimate and expansive.
“The entertaining just comes from the music and the intimate comes from there being six people in the group,” said Hurd. “Our audience isn’t 20 feet away. They’re right in front of us and that’s what makes us so intimate.”
What chamberworks ensemble successfully did was promote the music of many cultures, so as to make the performance as relatable to as many people as possible.
“People chose to take part of their lunch time,” said DePriest. “It shows the community sees what we’re trying to do, too.”