Pitt State performances planned for March 

March will include several musical performances by some of Pittsburg State University’s most talented student musicians. They are open to the public. 

March 1 
PSU Jazz Band to perform at 50th Annual Jazz Festival 

The PSU Jazz Band will perform under the direction of Professor Todd Hastings as the opening act before the Matt Catingub Big Band in a concert that begins at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium.  

Few tickets remain and can be purchased from the PSU Ticket Office in the Garfield Weede Building or at the door, based on availability. The concert also is attended by members of approximately 70 high school bands on campus for judged performances throughout the day.  

Tickets for the evening concert are $16 for adults and $10 for children, seniors, and military. Pitt State students are admitted free, and discounted tickets for PSU faculty and staff are available with valid Pitt State ID.    


March 2 
International Showcase to take audience around the world 

The PSU International Student Association will present the International Showcase at 6:30 p.m. on March 2 at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts. Doors open at 6 p.m. This event will feature music and cultural performances by students from a diverse list of countries.  

Following the performances, guests may go to the lobby to learn more about the countries at interactive booths and a dessert of their choice from around the world.  

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance online (ticket includes show admission and a dessert): https://bit.ly/international-showcase or at the door. 


March 3 
University choirs to present spring concert 

The PSU Choral Ensembles will present their spring concert at 3 p.m. on March 3 at the First United Methodist Church, 415 N. Pine, directed by Professor Susan Marchant.  

The program will include a variety of music featuring the Pittsburg State University Choir, the Chorale, and the Tour Choir that is planning a trip to Austria and the Czech Republic, along with guest oboist Ann Knipschild.  

Several pieces on the program will be accompanied by Pitt State Organ students on the church's Fisk Opus 152 organ.  

This concert is free. 


March 5 
Symphonic Band concert features additional ensembles 

PSU Symphonic Band Director Jobey Wilson has invited four additional ensembles to share the stage at his 7 p.m. concert at the Bicknell Center.  

The concert will feature a tune by the Pittsburg Hispanic Banda directed by adjunct lecturer and recent graduate Isaac Hernandez; three songs by the PSU Brass Ensemble; and two tunes by the Pittsburg Community Middle School Choir directed by Michaela Chybowski.  

It also will feature the PSU Percussion Ensemble with “Quadrinomial,” a piece the Pittsburg High School Percussion Ensemble was supposed to perform in 2020 before the concert was cancelled by the pandemic. One member of that ensemble is now in the PSU Percussion Ensemble. 

The concert is free. 


March 19 
Percussion concert to explore rhythms from around the world 

At 7 p.m. on March 19 at the Bicknell Center, PSU Percussion Ensemble Director Jim Clanton and his students will take listeners on a journey through an exploration of rhythms influenced by sounds from around the world.  

The audience can expect to see a bass drum lying flat played by timbale sticks by three musicians, as well as a pair of bongos and Bejing Opera gong, in Trio Per Uno. Other tunes will be equally diverse and entertaining, including Spinning Plates, a fun and exceptionally challenging mallet ensemble piece played by six, and Half Light, a piece written by an LA-based composer, with which they must align to a click track they hear in their ears and a backing track the audience hears. 

This concert is free. 


March 24 
SEK Symphony to feature “Rising Stars” 

This annual concert features this year's “Rising Stars” and will be directed by Ramiro Miranda as the third offering of the symphony’s season. 

Joel Garber, clarinet, is an accomplished Music Education and Clarinet Performance major from Grove, Oklahoma, who performs with numerous regional groups and is the winner of the 2022 PSU Concerto & Aria Competition. 

Ryan Ford, trumpet, is an accomplished Music Education and Trumpet/Piano major who started out as a Biochemistry major before following his passion; he now performs with many university ensembles. 

Maria Snider, mezzo-soprano, is an accomplished Vocal Performance major from Miami, Oklahoma, who has performed numerous roles in operas and musicals across the region, including as Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. 

Jewel Lunday is an accomplished flute player from Pittsburg who is majoring in Business Management with a minor in Music and is active in several university ensembles. 

Tickets are on sale now for $12 for the public and $8 for senior citizens. The concert is free to youth under age 18 and to anyone with a Pitt State ID. 

They may be purchased in advance at the PSU Ticket Office, 107 Weede Gymnasium, online at pittstate.edu/tickets, or by calling 620-235-4796. Tickets also will be available for purchase at the door starting one hour before each concert.