Glenville State College jazz bands perform in Myrtle Beach after year of delay

GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The Jazz Big Band and Jazz Combo at Glenville State College (GSC) were set to hit the road and head to South Carolina in May 2020. Bands were booked to perform at the House of Blues and at the World- Famous Blue Crab Festival in May of last year – unfortunately COVID-19 had other plans. In October, the group was rescheduled for an appearance at the House of Blues and Little River ShrimpFest, but again they were delayed due to the pandemic.

Today, a year later, the group has managed to achieve the expected performance.

The GSC Jazz Combo performed their Blues Brothers set in front of a crowd on the back deck of the Myrtle Beach House of Blues on Saturday May 15th. The next morning, the GSC Big Band performed on the main stage of the Little River Blue Crab Festival.

“Not only did the crowd have fun, but there was even a GSC graduate in the crowd, which made the performance even better,” said the director of the jazz orchestra and chairman of the fine arts department. -arts, Dr. Jason Barr.

While at Myrtle Beach, students were able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the House of Blues and learn about its history in live music, the unique works of art there, and how the sound and equipment lighting are used in performances. The students also visited the Coastal Carolina University campus where they learned about a master’s program in music technology.

“The trip we’ve been on has been phenomenal,” said Scott Barber, music education student. “Having the honor of sharing the House of Blues stage with the Jazz Combo was incredible! Dr Barr really gave us the opportunity to show what we have been working on for two years and to be able to make music and memories with my friends while we were there was a unique experience.