2018 Muhlenberg Brass Festival

Contact Information

Chris Carrillo, Associate Professor of Music-Trumpet

Contact Details

carrilcj@jmu.edu

Description

The Muhlenberg Brass Festival is a classical music festival that I just started this year to be an annual concert event. It will take place at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church in downtown Harrisonburg and is free and open to the public. This year's festival will mark the debut performance of The Virginia Brass Consort (VBC). The VBC is an ensemble comprised of music professors from James Madison University and Bridgewater College and it was formed for two reasons. First, to provide professional-level classical, brass music for free to the Harrisonburg/Rockingham community and public schools through outreach concerts. Second, to provide a means for music faculty to collaborate across disciplines and universities in the greater Rockingham county community. Future concerts hope to incorporate theater, dance, and poetry in intradisciplinary collaboration in the arts.

Involvement

Involves Faculty, Involves Students, Involves Participants External to JMU

Date

The 2018 Muhlenberg Brass Festival concert will take place on Saturday, March 17 at 5:00PM at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church in Harrisonburg.

Frequency

Recurring Event (Occurs on a regular basis but not continual)

Primary Focus of Program

Cultural Institutions and Programs; Arts and Culture

Benefits for Faculty, Students, Community, and Institution

I believe it address all aspects asked to varying degrees. For faculty, this concert provides a wonderful opportunity for inter-university collaboration between music professors at JMU and Bridgewater College. In the future, we hope to expand the concerts to include theater, film, and poetry reading. JMU and BC students who attend these concerts get to hear our professional faculty perform in the community where we live. This hopes to set the example for all of our music students to do similar projects after they graduate and move to their respective communities. For the community, it is a direct and ongoing collaboration between Muhlenberg Lutheran Church, JMU music faculty, and BC music faculty. Furthermore, these concerts are promoted to the entire Harrisonburg/Rockingham community and are free and open to the public. For community members who do not have the means to attend ticketed concerts at the Forbes Center, this provides an opportunity to hear live, classical music for free. For JMU, this attaches our university's name with more members of the community as our faculty members directly give back in providing free concerts to the public. It makes for a positive interaction between JMU, BC, and the local community.

Community Partner Name

Muhlenberg Lutheran Church

Areas of Engagement

Community Engagement, Engaged Learning

Format

Community Service, Event

On/Off campus

Off campus