Eight graduating seniors will take the stage as the featured musicians in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Jazz Ensemble concert April 29.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Hall on the Oshkosh campus.

“This graduating group of jazz seniors is large and will be sorely missed as leaders, performers and friends to us all next fall,” said Marty Robinson, UW Oshkosh jazz ensemble director and trumpet professor.

The seniors highlighted in the concert include Brice Babcock, a music major from Appleton, on guitar; Megan Blissitt, a music education major from Wauwatosa on alto sax; Kristi Hull, a music industry major of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, on alto sax; Cooper Nettesheim, music industry major from Hartland on trumpet; Josh Roberts, music instrumental performance major from Waukesha on tenor; Dane Slinger, music composition major from Madison on drums; Owen Vihos-Hoover, music industry major from Sheboygan on guitar; and Max Volk, music education major from Combined Locks on trumpet.

The ensemble will open the nine-number concert with Red Beans and Rice by Doc Severinsen and arranged by Robinson. Each senior will be featured on a song with the guitarists, Vihos-Hoover and Babcock, doubling up on Prime Directive by Dave Holland.

Nettesheim is looking forward to playing Next to Silence by Omar Thomas.

“It’s a mixed-metered chart that uses a lot of interesting compositional techniques. The trombone improvisation is also very challenging for me,” he said.

Vihos-Hoover also is excited about playing the piece. “I like how the guitar doubles the melody lines and creates this interesting texture,” he said.

Volk will be featured on Give it One. “It was originally recorded by Maynard Ferguson, and it is my favorite piece because of its high-energy and exciting trumpet melodies,” he said.

The concert will conclude with Bei Mir Bist du Schön, also arranged by Robinson. “The closing song will allow all eight students to each be featured in short moments. It is like a 1940s swing tune that will be a real crowd pleaser,” he said.

Notes along the way

Robinson recalls how this graduating class of jazz students journeyed through the pandemic together.

“I remember their strength and perseverance during the initial difficult days during COVID, when everything went online and with it being so very difficult to create music like that,” he said.

“And then I remember their positive spirit over the past four semesters as we slowly came out of COVID, but were still were wearing slotting masks, bell covers and staying wide distances apart in rehearsal and on stage. It brought tears to my eyes when we were able to finally rehearse and play together without any masks.”

Still there were many up-tempo days along the way, such as when the students got to work with world-class guest artists, such as vocalist Janet Planet, trumpeter Clay Jenkins and tenor saxophonist Tom Washatka.

“The highlight of my college music career would probably have to be playing with Janet Planet at the Grand (opera house) this past semester. It was really cool to play for so many people in such a professional environment,” Vihos-Hoover said.

Slinger’s favorite memory was when the jazz ensemble hit the road for a recent recruiting tour at six Milwaukee-area high schools, while Blissitt most enjoyed performing her senior saxophone recital.

Volk remembers fondly winning a concerto competition in spring 2021. “After going through the initial stages of the pandemic in 2020, I felt very proud of the work that I had done to win this competition as a trumpet player. There haven’t been many brass players that have been able to win this competition here at UW Oshkosh,” he said.

Encore, encore

“For their future aspirations, there is great diversity with some of the seniors looking to be teachers, others going to graduate school in music and others getting ready to launch careers as performers, sound engineers or in the music industry in some way,” Robinson said. “It’s a very exciting time for all of them.”

Nettesheim hopes to next land a job in the live sound field or work in a recording studio; Slinger is planning to be a session musician. Volk hopes to earn a master’s degree in jazz performance or jazz studies. “While I apply for graduate schools, I plan to be a substitute teacher around the Appleton area, and I will continue to improve at playing the trumpet.”

Blissitt and fellow ensemble member Roberts are engaged and ready for what comes next. She is looking forward to a semester of student teaching next fall, before joining Roberts in Oklahoma City, where he will be pursuing a master’s degree.

Blissitt chose to study music at UWO because she had a great experience during a lesson with saxophone professor Drew Whiting before she started college.

“I loved his passion for saxophone and for teaching, and I knew he was going to help me become a great teacher myself,” she said.

After commencement on May 14, Vihos-Hoover is planning to stay and work in Oshkosh while he sorts out next steps.

“I just want to give a huge thank you to Marty Robinson for giving me a chance to play with his band,” he said. “ I’ve had so much fun these past two semesters, and I’ve grown and learned a lot in a relatively short time.”

Learn more:

• UWO Symphony Orchestra to perform April 27 concert dedicated to people of Ukraine
• UW Oshkosh Jazz Ensemble resumes performance/high school recruiting tour
• Honors Young Artist Recital showcases musical talents of four UWO students
• How a UWO music student got 300 musicians—including one of his favorite bands—to record his arrangement