Students participate in New England Intercollegiate Band Festival

Emily Verschoor-Kirss ’15 (left) and Avery Yurman ’13 pose with their instruments. The two recently participated in the New England Intercollegiate Band Festival at Gordon College.
Emily Verschoor-Kirss ’15 (left) and Avery Yurman ’13 pose with their instruments. The two recently participated in the New England Intercollegiate Band Festival at Gordon College.

Bassoonist Avery Yurman ’13 and alto saxophonist Emily Verschoor-Kirss ’15 recently traveled to Gordon College to participate in the annual New England Intercollegiate Band Festival.

The festival features an auditioned group of student musicians from colleges and universities across New England who come together to rehearse and perform. The audition and selection is extremely competitive.  

“Being accepted into this festival is a great honor for these students, and an acknowledgement of their talent, their passion for music and the countless hours of hard work they put in practicing their instruments,” said Margaret Thomas, chair and associate professor of the Department of Music. “It places them with the top student musicians from colleges throughout New England, and really speaks to the wonderful training they get at Connecticut College.”

Yurman and Verschoor-Kriss, both music education majors, have put countless hours of hard work into mastering their instruments.

“I am so impressed by these students, both of whom are equally skilled at playing classical music and jazz. They will become truly wonder teachers and performers,” said Thomas.

Yurman said participating in the festival is an incredible opportunity to work and perform with guest conductors and musicians from other colleges across the region.

“This type of collaborative festival is a rare musical outlet at the collegiate level, and I relished every moment of my involvement,” she said.

After she graduates later this month, Yurman plans to pursue a master’s degree in bassoon performance at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. After further training, she hopes to teach music at the middle or high school level.

Verschoor-Kirss, who is majoring in both music education and Hispanic studies major, said she was honored to participate in the festival.

“We had the opportunity to work under the tutelage of a wonderful conductor, T. Andrew Geagin, and play really difficult yet fantastic music,” she said.

After college, Verschoor-Kirss hopes to study contemporary saxophone in graduate school.

- By Laura Cianciolo ‘16                        

 



May 3, 2013