Member Spotlight: James Rumbaugh

Check out our next Member Spotlight video featuring clarinet player James Rumbaugh, one of the longest standing members of the band!

This is part of a regular series of videos where we meet members and learn their stories. We'll learn about how they became involved in music, what led them to join the West Hills Symphonic Band, and lots of other interesting anecdotes along the way. We hope you will enjoy getting to know us on a more personal level in between our concert programs.

Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for future Member Spotlight videos and other new content being released soon!

Holl Photography Fundraising Opportunity

The West Hills Symphonic Band is excited to announce a fundraising partnership with Michael Holl Photography. Mike is a longstanding member of our trumpet section, and since his retirement from music education, he has continued to grow his photography studio and provide exceptional services to individuals, families, and organizations throughout the area. You can see many of his photos of the band on our website!

Book a 60-minute portrait session with Holl Photography for just $200 (Normally $250). Choose from headshots, family portraits, or musician photos, and $50 of your session fee will go directly to the West Hills Symphonic Band! It’s the perfect way to create lasting memories while helping a great local cause.

Limited availability—schedule your session today!

Visit www.HollPhotography.com or call 724-255-7796 for more information.

Featured Soloist: Jamie Kasper

We are thrilled to feature Jamie Kasper as a soloist on our upcoming Winter Concert on Sunday, February 16th! She will be performing Flute Concertino in D major, Op. 107 (1902) by French composer Cécile Chaminade.

Jamie Kasper grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and decided she wanted to play the flute when she was 9 years old. Her grandmother bought a flute for Christmas that year, and with the help of books and a 1980s tape recorder, Jamie taught herself to play. She majored in music at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and started her career as a music educator, working in schools in Maryland and Virginia before returning home to Pennsylvania in 2002. Jamie currently works as the director of the Arts Education Partnership, a national organization working on arts education policy and research. When she's not monitoring education policy, traveling for work, or playing the flute, she enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking.

When asked why she chose this piece, Jamie said: "I played this at my junior recital in college and then again for a community recital when my husband and I lived in central Pennsylvania. My friend My Lee was the piano accompanist for that recital. My Lee passed away shortly after we played together, so I think of her a lot when I play this piece."

Jamie also added: "A popular anecdote is that the composer wrote this piece after her lover, a flutist, left her for another woman. She wrote the piece to be virtually unplayable by him as revenge. It might not be true, but it's a fun story."