Goshen College’s Lavender Jazz band hit the stage with a show-stopping performance on Friday, Nov. 15, in Sauder Concert Hall. With a set list of six different songs, the band captivated the audience and ended with an encore for their grand finale.  Greg Smucker, who has served as the director of Lavender Jazz for the past six years, spoke highly of the group when talking about the decisions that went into choosing the setlist for the concert: “This band is very accomplished, as far as musicians, and so as soon as I knew the band — they were all returning...

By Alina Bergstresser • November 25, 2024 • Arts

By Mackenzie P. Miller • October 24, 2024 • Arts

Lavender Jazz, Goshen College’s resident big band, has established itself as a staple of GC culture but there is more to them than just jazz. Attendees of Lavender Jazz concerts will hear not only jazz standards, but pieces in diverse styles such as swing, blues, world beat, New Orleans, and jazz fusion. This year the group is made up of 10 people, though the number varies by year. A select group of five students form the Lavender Jazz Combo, a student-lead ensemble which prepares and performs additional music. The 2018-2019 Combo is made up of Nathan Berkey (bass), Gabe Miller...

By Kory Stoneburner-Betts • October 24, 2018 • Arts

On the evening of Friday, April 6, the current members of Lavender Jazz will take the Sauder Concert Hall stage. This performance features the four senior members of the band: Sarah Shoue, Isaac Godshalk, Reid Wegrecki and Julian Harnish. Each senior will perform a personally selected piece with the rest of the Lavender Jazz ensemble. Shoue will be performing a jazz standard entitled “Footprints,” composed by Wayne Shorter. Considering the laid-back vibe that emanates from each note, “it’s my favorite ‘rainy day’ or late evening kind of jazz,” said Shoue. Even though the song may sound relaxing to the listener,...

By Kory Stoneburner-Betts • April 5, 2018 • Arts

Goshen College’s jazz band, Lavender Jazz, has undergone a change this semester ahead of the band’s next performance on April 6. Greg Smucker ‘82 has stepped in as guest conductor, guiding the band in preparation. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Smucker had an affinity for music from an early age. Even before his great-grandmother gave him a trumpet she had purchased at an auction, Smucker said, “I had decided I would be a trumpeter when I grew up.” Smucker played in school bands all throughout high school. He was selected to attend an alternative high school for students interested in...

By Kory Stoneburner-Betts • March 22, 2018 • Arts

Lavender Jazz will perform their spring concert this Friday at 7:30pm in Sauder Concert Hall. The ensemble, led by director Christopher Fashun, is considered Goshen College’s “big band.” Student musicians of any major audition and join the ensemble every year, getting together to play classic jazz hits and standards, as well as their own interpretations of hits from contemporary rock and pop bands. At least one Radiohead cover will be performed during their spring concert, as well as charts and covers of works by Otis Redding, Nat King Cole and Thad Jones. Student singers will be showcased in the concert,...

By Chenoa Mitchell • March 19, 2014 • Arts