May 11, 2026
The Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts at Pearl River Community College came alive with a dynamic blend of popular hits, jazz standards, and instrumental selections as students delivered their final performances of the year. The Symphonic Band concert took place on Tuesday, April 14; JazzCats held their concert on Tuesday, April 21; and Spring Pops was Thursday, April 23.
SYMPHONIC BAND
Under the direction of Director of Bands and Instructor of Music Michael Bass and Instructor of Music/Assistant Band Director Jerry Pickering, the Symphonic Band performed a variety of instrumental pieces. Selected pieces included ‘Florentiner Marsch’ by Julius Fucik, ‘Groovee’ by Richard Saucedo, ‘Tangents Angular’ by Roand Barrett, ‘Black is the Color’ arranged by Robert Sheldon, ‘Sunbloom’ by Gavin Lendt, ‘Albanian Dance’ by Shelley Hanson, ‘Maynard Madness’ arranged by Victor Lopez, and ‘Americans We’ by Henry Fillmore.
Assistant Band Director/Woodwind Instructor Dr. Ben Burge played an alto saxophone solo on “Persuasion” by Sammy Nestico.
Lyric DelCambre is a sophomore at The River and a member of the PRCC Singers. Previously, she was in Currents. She attended the concert with several vocal group members to support the other fine arts students.
“I have friends in the band, so I like to come out and see them,” said DelCambre. “I really liked ‘Persuasion’ with Dr. Burge on the saxophone. It felt fluid and very relaxing.”
“This has been a wonderful year with the Symphonic Band,” said Bass. “They have worked extremely hard to prepare two great concerts this semester, one for the band clinic we had in February, and the end-of-year concert. They have put in many hours of preparation, and it paid off in fantastic concerts.”
Teresa Grantham drove from Spring County to see her son Kameren perform on tuba.
“The students did so well with the performance,” said Grantham. “The concert was really good.”
JAZZCATS
PRCC’s jazz band, under the direction of Bass and Assistant Band Director/Instructor of Music/Brownstone Technical Director Dr. Andrew Gilstrap, delighted the audience with an eclectic selection for the evening. Under the onstage direction of Bass, students poured themselves into the catchy tunes.
Selections for the evening included ‘Satin Doll’ arranged by Mark Taylor, ‘Past My Bedtime’ by Terry White, ‘Greasy Sack Blues’ arranged by Paul Murtha, ‘Latin Attitude’ by Rick Stitzel, ‘In Walked Bud’ arranged by Craig Vonberg, ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ arranged by Rick Stitzel, ‘No Harm / No Fowl’ by Kris Berg, ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ arranged by Dallas Burke, and ‘Another Zydobeto’ arranged by Paul Baker.
Soloists for the evening included Hope Bass, Brandon Dufrene, Ethan Glynn, Kelton Jones, Bryson Malpass, Jacob Nguyen, Leterris Page, Tyler Palavicini, Frank Peterson, Brandon Smith, and Andrew Sones.
“This year with the JazzCats has been full of rehearsals and performances, from the Christmas show in November and doing run-out concerts at high schools to the end-of-year concert,” said Bass. “They have been diligent about rehearsing and preparing for these performances. It’s been a pleasure to have them in the group this year, and I look forward to next year.”
Summer Jacobsen of Poplarville attended with her husband and her son, who plays saxophone in the Poplarville High School band. She particularly enjoyed the final selection, ‘Another Zydobeto’ from the evening set.
“We enjoy hearing the music here and being entertained,” said Jacobsen. “The music is always good. The band never disappoints. The musicians were very talented, but I really enjoyed all the solos.”
SPRING POPS
PRCC Singers is an auditioned choral ensemble that includes all members of The Voices, Currents, and Rapids. They opened the Spring Pops concert with musical selections including ‘Paint It Black’ by Jagger and Richards with Amanda Verret as soloist, ‘Gravity/Rocket Man’ by Barreilees and John with Caroline Gunn as soloist, and ‘Ain’t It Fun’ by Williams and York with Lucy Spiers as soloist.
Currents, an advanced treble ensemble, performed ‘I Love You, Always Forever’ originally by Betty Who with Blair Pounds as soloist, ‘Hold My Hand’ originally by Lady Gaga with Grace Hester as soloist, ‘Love So Soft’ by originally by Kelly Clarkson with Marleigh Williams as soloist, ‘Man I Need’ by Olivia Dean with Rio Dufrene as soloist, ‘Iris’ originally by the Goo Goo Dolls with Riley Smith as soloist, and “Sweet Dreams” originally by Annie Lennox with Hester as soloist.
The Voices performed ‘Dancing in the Dark’ originally by Bruce Springsteen with Kadee Parks as soloist, ‘Free Fallin’ originally by Tom Petty with Tynesha Sibley as soloist, ‘Whatcha Want’ originally by Lawrence with Chloe Albert and C.J. Jones as soloists, ‘Sleep originally by Allen Stone with Kassidy Robinson as soloist, ‘Run to You’ originally by Whitney Houston with Tynesha Sibley and ale Moeller as soloists, and ‘No Sleep’ originally by Phillip Lassiter with Jones as soloist.
Alexander Hall of Lumberton is a freshman at The River who came with friends to experience the last concert of the school year. He had been invited by his classmate, Jones, a member of The Voices, to attend.
“I thought it was pretty great,” said Evans. “One of my favorite parts was when one of the guys was singing the Tennessee Waltz. Another part that I really liked was when the Currents were singing and they put their mic down and they sang in the harmony together.”
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats), Instagram (PRCCWILDCATS), Facebook (@PRCCMKTG),and TikTok (@prcc_wildcats).
Article by Laura O’Neill. Photography by Laura O’Neill and Patrick Peerboom.
