Dickinson's Trinity High to present jazz concert

The Trinity High School Department of Music will present the first Titan Jazz Concert featuring the Titan Drumline, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble.

“A concert of this type has been something that has been in the back of my mind for several years, but finding a time has been difficult,” director of music Jeff Dasovick said. “This year the opportunity presented itself and we decided to take advantage of it.”

The drumline is in its eighth year of existence and has performed for halftime shows at regional and state events, including a halftime performance for the Dakota Wizards Basketball team.

The Jazz Ensemble has garnered star ratings at regional events and has performed at the University of Mary Jazz Festival, where members of the ensemble have received the overall Outstanding Woodwind Soloist and overall Outstanding Musician.

The newest group, the Titan Vocal Jazz Ensemble, recently received third place at the 2011 Region X Vocal Festival.

The concert also will feature guest artist Brian Nozny, who serves as an assistant professor of percussion and assistant director of bands at Dickinson State University.

“Brian has a connection with Trinity in that he teaches or has taught private percussion lessons to several of our current and alumni,” Dasovick said. “He has also worked with our groups in the past and has a good rapport with them and works to get the best out of them.”

Nozny’s career as a percussionist and composer spans an array of musical styles, including classical, jazz, world and popular genres.

He has performed in with orchestras such as the Macon Symphony, the Hilton Head Symphony and the Irving Symphony Orchestra. He serves as the principal percussionist with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra.

Nozny has teaching experience in the United States and abroad. He served as a faculty member for the Music for All Summer Symposium in Normal, Ill., and was a percussion consultant for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.

The concert will feature standard jazz works, as well as contemporary and pop works.

The concert is 7 p.m. Monday in the THS Auditorium. Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for adults.

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