www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, March 1 7, 2 0 1 7 | 2 0 Marta Marychuk Reporter mmarychuk@oakvillebeaver.com Artscene "Connected to your Community " Jazz band to stage milestone fundraisi^ concert by Marta Marychuk Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville's High Rendition Jazz Band holds its 10th anniversary fundraising concert on Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at Corpus Christi Secondary School in Burlington. The High Rendition Jazz Band, a local elite youth band, is bringing home gold award after gold award in music competi tions this year, along with rave reviews by competition adjudicators. The band hopes to raise $ 3 ,0 0 0 at the concert, which will help pay for musical instruments, audio equipment, rehearsal space and music competitions. The band is invited to MusicFest Nationals every year and will compete in Niagara this May. The band is managed by parent volun teers and performs free of charge for mul tiple charities each year, including the Halton Walk for Down Syndrome. This year, the High Rendition Jazz Band consists of 22 musicians, which includes multiple drummers and keyboardists. All musicians are in grades 9 to 12. Many members of the band are from Oakville. The band started about 10 years ago, when a group of parents with children The High Rendition Jazz Band hopes to raise $3,000 at its upcoming concert in Burlington. | Sanja Antic photo playing in Halton Junior Jazz, for musicians in Grades 7 and 8, wanted to continue the opportunity for their children to play chal lenging jazz locally, rather than having to travel to Toronto or Hamilton for similar op portunities. Auditions for the band are regularly held in the fall, but the band wants to hear from exceptional talents at any time. Band a regular at jazz festivals A regular performer at several jazz festivals and summer concert series, High Rendition Jazz Band has also appeared at the TD To ronto Jazz Festival and in W ashington, DC. The band expects to perform only one or two times in Oakville this year. "This ensemble has risen to every chal lenge I have presented, so I just keep raising the bar, said Musical Director Carmen Gassi, who is head of music at W hite Oaks Second ary School. "The band's attention to musical detail and style has allowed us to play charts that would otherwise be left for professional groups." Gassi is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and holds an Honours de gree in Music, a Masters of Music degree and a Bachelor of Education degree. He has per formed both as a soloist and as an ensemble member. He is currently principal clarinet with both Kindred Spirits Orchestra and the Brampton Symphony Orchestra. The concert includes special guest Halton Junior Jazz, comprised of middle school stu dents drawn from schools across the Halton District School Board. Aspiring jazz musi cians are encouraged to come hear both bands in preparation for auditions later in the year. Tickets are $ 2 0 , or $ 1 0 for students/ seniors and can be purchased at the door or by email at info@highrenditionjazz.ca. JPl JO H N P A L A D IN O I.AVV OFFICE Plan y o u r p e rfe c t E u ro p ea n v ac atio n w ith tra v e l deals, guides and in s p ira tio n - ju s t fo r C anadians! · REAL ESTATE · WILLS & ESTATES C O M M E R C IA L LEASING · CORPORATE 447 Speers Road, Suite 200B, Oakville, ON L6K 3S7 PHONE: 905-842-3311 FAX: 905-842-7433 V is it w w w .t r a v e la le r t s .c a /e u r o p e