Mt. San Antonio College's choral and instrumental music ensembles enjoy pinnacle positions in national and international performance arts, thanks to professors' vision and continuing commitment, augmentation by professional accompanists and students' exceptional talents. Few schools, including universities, achieve what the community college in Walnut has. Winning competitions, sparking audience excitement and gaining the respect of critics and colleagues have become regular habits for Mt. SAC's student singers and musicians.
Observers say the teachers behind the young talent set the benchmark for excellence and use their own passion and dedication to challenge students. Those conclusions make perfect sense when noting the accomplishments of the community college artists.
Jazz masters, legends and educators squeezed into a standing-room-only hall and rhythmically swayed hip to hip when Singcopation, the school's top jazz vocal group, performed at the 2003 International Association of Jazz Educators' conference in Toronto.
"Who are these kids?" repeatedly asked such famous jazz artists as bassist Ray Drummond (a Claremont Men's College honors graduate and its first black student-body president), vocalist Nnenna Freelon and sax master Jimmy Heath.
That same stimuli, first generated after its initial conference appearance in 2001 in New York City, prompted IAJE conference organizers' second invitation to Singcopation. The even more overwhelming response in Canada led to a third IAJE convention concert in Long Beach in January.
Singcopation dramatically captured an unprecedented four Downbeat magazine awards as the best college vocal jazz group in the nation in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. The group's 12 voices have been featured on six CDs, performed at American Choral Directors Association's western regional conventions and sang with Steve Zegree, Michele Weir and Darmon Meader of the New York Voices for the 2001 and 2003 L.A. Vocal Jazz Workshop.
Frontline, the vocal ensemble mixing contemporary pop, improvisation and swing jazz, wasn't a year old when they received their first standing ovation at the Cuesta College Fall Vocal Jazz Festival and won unanimous perfect scores at the Moorpark Jazz Festival. In its sixth year last year, Frontline won second place at the Reno Jazz Festival.
There's no niche for Fermata Nowhere, the a cappella vocalists who are equally adept singing rhythm-and-blues, gospel, pop, jazz, classical, contemporary tunes and rock classics. Tonic Sol-fa was the headlining group at the 11th annual A Cappella Festivella at the University of Alaska in October 2004. But all the talk and the greatest media attention went to the unconventionally attired and super-singing students from Walnut.
The campus concert of the Mt. SAC Wind Ensemble on March 24 was merely a prelude to a Carnegie Hall performance five days later. Student instrumentalists were admittedly elated about playing on the stage of the nation's most prestigious hall.
The ensemble grew from 20 students to 60 strong shortly after its formation. The young talents took the school to the New York Wind Band Festival in the 2004-05 academic year, making Mt. SAC the first community college to do this festival featuring university and high school instrumentalists.
The student musicians will add conventions and conferences to their venues' list for 2005-06. The Wind Ensemble was recently named one of the top college classical groups the National College Band Directors Association and will be among those performing at the association's northwestern and western regional conferences in March 2006. Work at the Disney Hall will also highlight this school year for the instrumentalists. The Mt. SAC Chamber Singers present classical works ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century when they perform at national and international concerts and competitions.
Going up against the best 100 choirs in the world, the school singers won more awards than any other competitors at the International Musical Eisteddfod Competition in Wales, including first-place awards in youth choir and chamber choir categories and a second-place award in the Choir of the World competition.
The Chamber Singers brought home multiple gold - first in the chamber choir and large mixed categories as well as best choir overall - during the Grand Prix Choir Competition in Bulgaria. The college's top classical choir has toured Europe, Canada and the United States repeatedly, winning accolades from audiences and prizes from judges. It has also performed at American Choral Directors Association and California Music Educators Association conventions and university choral festivals.
The school's concert choir, jazz band, Chamber Winds, jazz combo, brass quintet, the Nothing But Treble women's a cappella group and the women's ensemble, an all-female classical choral group, are additionally gaining attention and setting new standards nationally.
The student groups are directed by professors Bruce Rogers, William McIntosh and Jason Chevalier and taught the history of jazz, music theory and music history respectively by professors Steve Wilkerson and Gary Toops and Mt. SAC Music Department chairwoman Kathie Calkins. Twenty-six part-time instructors augment learning in campus classrooms. Inland Valley residents interested in attending any of the local student group performances may contact the Mt. San Antonio College Performing Arts Center for concert dates. Information and tickets: (909) 468-4050.