Marietta College freshman selected for regional honor band

Alfonso Ramirez '21 played euphonium in concert at Western Michigan University

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MARIETTA, OHIO (03/05/2018) Marietta College's Alfonso Ramirez '21 (Beverly, Ohio) recently participated in the College Band Directors National Association Intercollegiate Honor Concert Band at the North Central Regional Conference at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

"It was thrilling to work with so many students from a wide variety of other schools," Ramirez said. "There were students from states as far away as South Dakota. It was probably one of the hardest, and most enjoyable concerts I had ever played."

Ramirez is majoring in Music Education major and plays euphonium at Marietta College. He is a student of Christopher Dearth, trombone/euphonium instructor. Ramirez is also a member of the Marietta College Symphonic Band and Marietta College Wind Ensemble.

"This was an incredible opportunity for Alfonso. He is extremely pleased and excited to have been accepted into this honor ensemble," said Marshall Kimball, Music Department Chairman and Director of Bands at Marietta College. "With members chosen from very large state institutions like Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, Alfonso had the opportunity to meet other musicians from much larger institutions and be challenged by their abilities, which will afford him an opportunity for musical growth. I am also pleased that our Music Education program and Marietta College's band program were represented in this ensemble and at the CBDNA conference."

During the college band directors conference, the Honor Band conducted three days of rehearsals and gave their honor band performance on February 24th. The intercollegiate concert band is comprised of instrumentalists representing 24 colleges and universities in a five-state region.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 45 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.

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