Music Department Booms with Fall Performances

By ARI CASE

Seton Hill’s Music Department has had a packed concert schedule for the fall 2025 semester, blending jazz, classical, and several contemporary styles; the Reichgut Concert Hall has offered a show for everyone. 

Some of the concerts included the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds’ [WSW] “Short Ride, Long Journey,” Choral Ensemble’s “Choral Collage,” Commercial Ensemble’s “Tribute to One-Hit Wonders” and the Jazz Ensembles’ performance.

“I think they all serve a similar purpose–we have the honor and privilege to perform our work for the public, and that our department can be showcased [in] so many different ways is a really cool thing,” Seton Hill Director of Instrumental Music and Westmoreland Symphonic Winds Music Director and Conductor Christopher Marra said. “We contribute to the cultural district of Westmoreland County, and I am proud that we are a part of that.”

One of those shared purposes is educational–each of the university ensembles is designed to be a learning experience for students. In addition to ensembles, music students also practice and perform for recitals each semester.

This semester’s recitals took place near midterms and featured performances with many different genres and instruments. As with any performance, they can be a stressful experience to prepare for, but were certainly a joy for those in the audience to watch.

“They’ve been great, particularly our freshmen,” Marra said. “The freshmen this year were exceptionally prepared, and seemed comfortable in their own skin.”

The same sentiment was echoed by Junior Cassie McVicker, who performed her prepared pieces on saxophone as well.  “I won’t lie, my first recital was not the greatest, but each one I have personally done since has just gotten better and better, to the point where I felt very confident in my recital,” McVicker said. 

The ultimate testament to recital improvement is the music major’s senior recital. On Nov. 2, Commercial Music program Senior Ethan Zawacki showcased the culmination of his learning at Seton Hill with a curated collection of music from multiple genres. 

“The senior recital is designed to demonstrate the diverse curriculum that the students engage in during their four years of study,” Music Department Chair and Coordinator of Commercial Music Ted DiSanti explained. “In Ethan’s case, he chose to focus on both his classical trumpet training and his deep passion for jazz. He assembled an outstanding group of musicians including Seton Hill faculty members, alums of the commercial music program, and fellow students.”

The Commercial Music Program’s ensemble performed “A Tribute to One-Hit Wonders” on Nov. 15. 

“Quite a bit of the music we’re performing [is] from the 70s and 80s, with a few more current hits including the music of Four Non Blondes, Portugal. The Man [sic] and Walk the Moon,” DiSanti said. “The strategy that we go through for concert programming is to incorporate songs that not only challenge the musicians, but also songs that include a wide range of instrumentation.”

All of the ensembles involve challenging repertoires for students at times, but this semester members of WSW had an extra challenge as well: a time crunch. 

The first concert, “Short Ride, Long Journey,” took place on Oct. 30 and was a resounding success. According to Marra, it had the highest attendance numbers the ensemble has seen in years–even though it took place on a weeknight. 

“The WSW concert was fantastic, I sat somewhere near the back and while I was in the audience the music metaphorically swept me off my feet,” McVicker said. “As a former member of the ensemble I know how challenging that music can get, and it really sounded challenging this year. But with that challenge they were able to put on a great concert that I think everyone involved should be proud of.”

McVicker also expressed excitement for the second concert of the season, “Resound!” where WSW will be performing alongside Sinfonia, the orchestral ensemble. They normally collaborate in the spring concert season, but this new fall collaboration may be sticking around even with the increased difficulty in learning more music.

“I knew they could handle it, but it did require a real increased commitment level on the part of the ensemble,” Marra said. “I do think we will continue to do this.”

Marra expressed that one of the best parts of the collaboration is an expanded audience–viewers who may normally only see one ensemble will get the chance to watch both perform. The concerts are designed with audience experience in mind, to great success.

“I do think it’s a very approachable experience,” Marra said. “It’s one that’s very family-friendly. Given our location, too, there’s so many things you can do with a concert experience [in the] city.”

“As a band we are all really proud of what we have accomplished,” McVicker said.