The Community Arts Program at Seton Hill University will be holding auditions for three community youth bands.

Auditions for the Youth Honors Concert Band and the Youth Honors Jazz Band will be held on Saturday, November 1, beginning at 9 a.m. The deadline to apply for either of these bands is Friday, October 17.

The Youth Honors Concert Band and the Youth Honors Jazz Band are both open to instrumentalists in grades 6, 7, and 8 during the 2014-2015 school year. Audition times will be assigned once all applications are received.

A third honors band, the Three Rivers Youth Wind Ensemble, is open to students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 during the 2014-15 academic year who are woodwind, brass and percussion players. Auditions for the Three Rivers Wind Ensemble are being accepted through emailed audio files or mailed CDs between now and January 9.

The Youth Honors Concert Band and the Three Rivers Youth Wind Ensemble will be directed by Timothy L. Ellison, Visiting Assistant Professor and Director of Instrumental Activities at Seton Hill. Mr. Ellison holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting degree from Georgia State University. While at Georgia State University, Mr. Ellison studied with Robert J. Ambrose and was a frequent guest conductor with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, and co-conductor of the University Band. Additionally, Mr. Ellison is a doctoral candidate in Instrumental Conducting at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he has conducted the University Band and appeared frequently as a guest conductor with the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Casella Sinfonietta.

The Youth Honors Jazz Band is under the direction of John M. Seybert, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Music Education Program at Seton Hill. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Grove City College, a Master of Music degree from Butler University, and a doctorate degree in music education from the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Seybert served as the President of the Florida Collegiate Music Educators Association and member of the Florida Music Educators’ Association Executive Board. Prior to his graduate studies, Dr. Seybert taught instrumental music in nationally recognized elementary, middle, and high school music programs in Indianapolis.

To obtain an audition application for any of the bands, contact Michelle Walters, Community Arts Program Director, at 724-552-2923 or via email at walters@setonhill.edu. You can also go online for more information and audition applications.