December will be a busy month for Frederick Community College’s musical groups with many special performances featuring a variety of instruments and ensembles.
 
“Now is a great time to attend a concert at FCC and support our students and community musicians as they show off all they’ve accomplished this semester,” says Jennifer Rundlett, Music Program Manager.  “There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a big jazz fan, prefer the quieter strings, or enjoy the celebratory sounds of the wind ensemble.”
 
Find out about each specific concert below. Contact the Jack B. Kussmaul Theater Box Office at 301.846.2514.
 
Dec. 4
“All That Jazz” Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Jack B. Kussmaul Theater
Directed by Howard Burns
General admission $12, seniors and students $10, FCC students and staff are admitted free with ID. 
 
FCC Jazz students will be joined by Thomas “Whit” Williams to perform music by Earth, Wind & Fire, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, and Count Basie. Williams will also perform music from his latest CD, “Now’s the Time” Big Band.
 
Williams is a well-known player in the jazz scene and has worked with and backed up entertainers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Barry White, and Tony Bennett. He has also performed for soundtracks and television shows and is the founder and director of a 19-piece big band named “Now’s the Time.” His band has been active for more than 30 years and has played at countless venues including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
 
Dec. 7
“Sunday Serenade” String Ensemble, 3:00 p.m., Studio Theater
Directed by Lynn Fleming
Free
 
Our newest and fastest growing String Ensemble will perform holiday favorites and symphonic melodies, including highlights from Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. This ensemble includes players of all ages who perform on violin, viola, cello and string bass.
 
Dec. 9
“Four and More” Jazz II Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Jack B. Kussmaul Theater
Directed by Anita Thomas
Free
 
This inventive and high-energy group will perform numerically titled jazz tunes, such as “Four” by Miles Davis, “Take Five” by Paul Desmond, and “Four on Six” by Wes Montgomery.
 
Jazz II is a group of student and community musicians who are diverse in age and musical background. The ensemble includes a large number of instruments, including guitars, saxophones, drums, a piano, trumpet, violin, and tuba. 
 
Dec. 12
“Some Assembly Required” Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Jack B. Kussmaul Theater
Directed by Aaron Lovely
Free
 
This program will begin with small-scale chamber music, performed by individual sections of the ensemble. The brass section will kick off the program with Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” followed by selected winds playing Antonin Dvorak’s “Serenade for Winds” in d minor, opus 44.
 
The concert will conclude by reassembling the sections to perform traditional large-scale wind ensemble repertoire featuring works by Gustav Holst, Frank Ticheli, James Barnes, Henry Fillmore, and more.
 
As a special thank-you to those who support the FCC ensembles, there will be a motion picture-themed reception to follow this concert in F-145.
 
“Come celebrate with us the music that is happening in your community and consider joining one of our many ensembles for spring 2015,” Rundlett said.