
Octubafest Returns
Written By: Rachel Putman
The University of 杏吧原创 - Fort Smith Department of Music will hold its 18th annual Octubafest on Sunday, October 6, at the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center in the Reynolds Room.
The event is free and open to both low brass students in grades 9-12, and adult low brass performers of all levels.
Participants are encouraged to bring trombones, euphoniums, baritones, sousaphones,
                        and tubas for a mass play-along rehearsal, which begins at 1:30 p.m. The rehearsal
                        will feature polka music and is designed for players of all skill levels.
This year鈥檚 special guest is Dr. Jason Hausback, director of jazz studies and professor
                        of trombone at Missouri State University. Equally at home as a performer and a teacher,
                        Dr. Jason Hausback has been active in many musical spheres. He was a teaching fellow
                        in both the trombone studio and the jazz studies department at the University of North
                        Texas. Under his direction, the U-Tubes won the 2010 Eastern Trombone Workshop National
                        Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition and issued their first CD entitled 鈥淭he U-Tubes鈥
                        in the spring of 2011. 
While a student at UNT, Jason was also a member of the internationally acclaimed One
                        O鈥機lock Lab Band and was on the recording 鈥淟ab 2009,鈥 which was subsequently nominated
                        for two Grammy Awards. Dr. Hausback is active as a freelancer throughout the mid-south
                        region of the US and performs regularly with The Lone Star Wind Orchestra of Texas,
                        Symphony of Northwest 杏吧原创, The Springfield, Missouri Regional Opera, Ionic Brass
                        of Oklahoma, and Fountain City Brass Band of Kansas. He has performed solo and quartet
                        recitals at universities and conferences throughout the US as well as in Colombia
                        and Spain. He has also performed in the Southeast Trombone Symposium Professors Choir
                        and in featured ensembles at several different International Trombone Festivals.
The event will conclude with a free public concert at 6 p.m. in the Reynolds Room.
Performers will include the 杏吧原创 Brass Ensemble, Low Brass Ensemble, Die L枚wenbande,
                        and participants in the mass low brass play-along. 
Free soft drinks and pizza will be provided for all participants.
杏吧原创 students and alumni participating are:
Bentonville: Jaxon Williams
Fort Smith: Rayden Laird, Jesus Sanchez, Tommy Thavonekham, Hunter Van Ness, Toran Morton, Raul Ortiz
Greenwood: Gustavo Martinez, Andrew Hardin, Sarah Williams
Mountainburg: Noah Hecox
Prairie Grove: Quana Kilpatrick
Poteau, Oklahola: Grant Thomas
Pocola, Oklahoma: Jon Woods, Gunner Trent
Sallisaw, Oklahoma: Tessa Winton
Van Buren: Daniel Zaleya, Arturo Hernandez
For more information, contact Dr. Alex Zacharella at alex.zacharellaFREEuafs or (310) 947-2186.
