The Rowlett High School Jazz Ensemble recently joined forces with the Richardson Community Band to present an afternoon of popular compositions at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.
“One of the goals of the Richardson Community Band is to offer affordable entertainment to the families of the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” said Band President Ken Lenoir. “It was the decision of the board to have no admission fee for any of the band’s concerts. We hope this decision will make our performances accessible to even more citizens.”
The concert will feature well-known jazz tunes by Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton. In addition to performing selections alone, both groups will collaborate on several compositions written exclusively for concert and jazz bands by McKinney-based composer John Wasson.
Garland ISD Director of Fine Arts George Jones serves as the Richardson Community Band’s conductor. Guests of honor will include Rowlett High School band director Phillip Alvarado and RHS alumnus and trumpet soloist Micah Bell.
“The Rowlett High School Jazz bands consistently rank among the top bands in our area and have garnered many awards over the past 18 years,” Jones said in a press release. “Micah received a bachelor’s of music education from Texas Christian University and master’s in trumpet performance. He has been the Dallas Area Youth Jazz Orchestra director, a Collin College trumpet professor and a University of North Texas One O’ Clock Lab Band member.”