The power of music and travel

MSU Bands roll out the season with innovative music and guests

Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall stage features ensembles throughout the fall semester

In addition to the Wind Symphony concert, Ketchens will join the Spartan Marching Band for a special performance during the halftime show of the homecoming football game vs. Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 23.

The MSU College of Music begins its band concert series with a performance by the Wind Symphony on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. in Cobb Great Hall of Wharton Center. The concert features solo instrumentalist Doreen Ketchens, jazz clarinetist from New Orleans, and MSU Professor of Percussion Gwendolyn Dease.

[Click here for tickets and event details]

Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens' unique style has influenced the way the clarinet is heard.

Ketchens blends her classical training and the soul of jazz into her own unique style, changing the way the clarinet is heard. She has performed at concert halls, music festivals, and U.S. embassies, as well as decades of weekly performances of Dixieland with her band, Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans.

The unique performance style that Ketchens presents will be featured in repertoire that includes House of the Rising Sun (Traditional, arr. Drew Dickey), What a Wonderful World (arr. Terry Lewis) by George David Weiss, and When the Saints Go Marching In (arr. Drew Dickey) by James M. Black. In addition to the Wind Symphony concert, Ketchens will join the Spartan Marching Band for a special performance during the halftime show of the homecoming football game vs. Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 23.

MSU Professor of Percussion Gwendolyn Dease is the featured artist on Touch and Go: Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble by Paul Lansky. Apart from teaching at MSU, Dease has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Asia, and South America.

MSU Professor of Percussion Gwendolyn Dease will be featured on a concerto for percussion and wind ensemble.

“We are excited about this concert!” says Kevin Sedatole, MSU professor of music and director of bands. “We have loved working with faculty artist, Gwen Dease and welcoming Doreen Ketchens to the stage will be a treat for both student performers and audience members. She is energetic, fun, and a fantastic clarinetist.”

The audience will also hear Fanfare by Arthur Wang, Manifestos by Paul Dooley, and Tango Oscuro by Kevin Day. Tango Oscuro (Dark Tango) was originally a chamber orchestra work (now arranged for chamber wind ensemble) that was composed in the span of five days' time, from an out-of-the-blue inspiration. This intense composition depicts a dark, wild, passionate dance between two lovers.

Fans of MSU band ensembles can look forward to more concerts in Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall through November featuring a variety of colorful styles of music featuring guest soloists and composers.

9/28 Thursday 7:30 p.m. Symphony Band, David Thornton, conductor
10/11 Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Concert Band Campus Band, Arris Golden, conductor
10/27 Friday 7:30 p.m. Wind Symphony and Symphony Band, Kevin L. Sedatole and David Thornton, conductors
11/5 Spartan Spectacular 3:00 p.m. Spartan Marching Band and other MSU band and jazz ensembles
11/15 Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Concert Band and Campus Band, Arris Golden, conductor
11/19 Sunday 3:00 p.m. Wind Symphony with Spartan Youth Wind Symphony, Keven L. Sedatole and Dana Pradervand Sedatole, conductors
11/21 Sunday 7:30 p.m. Symphony Band, David Thornton, David Thornton, conductor

For band event details and information about other ensemble concerts, please visit: music.msu.edu/band-events

General admission seating for this and other large ensemble performances are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 60 and older), and free for students and those under 18 with valid ID, and can be purchased online (music.msu.edu), by calling (517) 353-5340, or at the door. More information on these and other events in the 2023–2024 MSU Music Season can be found at music.msu.edu/events.