What a GREAT gig! The NOVA ensembles performed at the famed, Carlyle Club in Old Town Alexandria on October 30th, 2017.
7th Annual NOVA Jazz Night at The Carlyle Club. Photo by Britt Conley
Our Jazz studies director, John Kocur, kicked off the evening events, directed and informed the audience about the club, songs and upcoming events.
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
The Nighthawks Jazz Band worked it! Playing out at the club is really a wonderful opportunity for our students.
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
While everyone performed, dancers spun about the floor…
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! Photo By Britt Conley
There were even dance classes for those who wanted to learn some new swing moves! NOVA’s ballroom dance instructor Alan Golombek took the time to teach anyone who was interested. It turned out there were a lot of interested people!
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
Kyle Wright joined the band for several songs. He really has a phenomenal voice!
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
Everyone played well and we all had a great time!
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
Look for the date for next year’s club date! It’s every fall.
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
The music from all the ensembles was fantastic!
NOVA JAZZ Ensembles at The Carlyle Club! October 30th, 2017. Photo by Britt Conley
Looking forward to hearing them again at Jazz4Justice on March 22nd at the Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria!
See you there!
Blog post by Britt Conley: Assistant to the Music Department
This Monday! October 30th! Come join us for the 7th Annual NOVA Jazz Night at The Carlyle Club, featuring our very own, NOVA Nighthawks Jazz Ensemble and the NOVA Jazz Combos! FREE!No tickets are required but free-will donations will be collected to benefit the NOVA jazz program’s public concerts and scholarship program. All are welcome to attend.”
According to John Kocur, “In bygone days, a night on the town could mean dressing to the nines and dancing the night away to a live band at a club where you could eat a good meal and sip finely crafted beverages. There are few locations remaining in America where live music can be experienced with this simultaneous sense of intimacy and sophistication. One of them is the Carlyle Club in Old Town Alexandria. With its spacious dance floor, ample stage, cozy booths, and tucked away bar, there are many options for enjoying the music and your company. Much of the décor is a throwback to the Art Deco style of the 1920’s, recalling New York’s Cotton Club, Savoy Ballroom, and Chicago’s Lincoln Gardens.
Our incredible jazz musicians have been diligently practicing and gearing up for a great night!
Photo by Britt Conley
NOVA Nighthawks Jazz Ensemble will perform Duke Ellington’s “Echoes of Harlem” and other works written for the orchestras of Count Basie, Stan Kenton, and Cab Calloway.
Come to dance to the music in an authentic setting. Don’t know how to swing dance? NOVA’s ballroom dance instructor Alan Golombek will teach you with a mini swing dance lesson during intermission.
Everyone can’t wait to hit the stage!
Photo by Britt Conley
It’s been pretty nice, practicing in our new percussion room in the Center for Design, Media and the Arts on the Alexandria Campus.
Photo by Britt Conley
Which, unlike our old rooms at Tyler are far more spacious.
Photo by Britt Conley
If you were thinking about something to do on Monday night, October 30th, this is it!!! The Nighthawks Jazz Band will be working it all night!
Photo by John Kocur
Practice has been going really well.
Photo by John Kocur
Photo by John Kocur
If you haven’t been to the Carlye, It’s a Alexandria gem!
This Monday, October 30th The NOVA Jazz Combos will present an opening set of listening music for your dining pleasure.
“If you’re looking for old-fashioned romance and entertainment, try the new Carlyle Club in Alexandria, where the sounds of the swing era play in an atmosphere unlike anything else on the night-life scene.” – The Washington Post
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
October 24th, marked the premier of The Nova Community Chorus under the new direction of Director Chad Steffey.
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall.The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt ConleyThe NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
The concert began with “Full Fathom Five”by Charles Wood, continuing with “Sing Joyfully” by William Byrd, In Windsor Forest: A cantata adapted from the opera, “Sir John in Love” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Songs and Sonnets”from Shakespeare by George Shearing, “If Music be the Food of Love” by David Dickau and finally, “Dance a Cachuca” from the Gondoliers by Sir Arthur Sullivan.
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
The chorus was glad to be back at The Schlesinger Center for the Arts.
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
Chad enlightened us on the stories and backgrounds of the music, in between works.
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt ConleyThe NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt ConleyThe NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
The chorus was accompanied by Anita Ferguson, who also joined The NOVA Community Chorus, this year.
Anita Ferguson accompanying The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
Anita, has been working in the Fairfax County Public School system, for the past six years, as both an accompanist and substitute teacher. She played wonderfully.
The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt ConleyThe NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt ConleyChad Steffey, directing The NOVA Community Choir Spirit of the Bard Concert. October 24th, 2017 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
Chad comes to us from a impressive background. He served for 20 years on active duty int he United States Air Force, retiring in the rank of Major in July 2013. His career spanned several assignments as a percussionist and conductor in the Air Force Band career field. Since 2015 Chad has been the Director of Choirs at J.E.B Stuart High School and serves as the Director of Music at St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. He is also currently completing his doctoral studies in choral directing at George Mason University.
It was a great night overall and wonderful kickoff to our 2017-18 NOVA musical season. Our next concert is this evening, October 26th. Lisa Eckstein will conducting the NOVA Community Band with her annual Halloween concert, Spooctacular Sounds in the Haunted Hall, also featuring the Wakefield High School Band! Music from Bach, Holst and Mussorgsky to Andrew Weber, Sousa and more! It will be great to see this year’s halloween costume contest!
We have finally left the old Tyler Building and moved up into our brand new Center for Design, Media and the Arts Building, just up the hill at the Alexandria Campus. It’s right across from the Bisdorf Building.
Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo courtesty of Northern Virgina Community College
The inside is just as nice the exterior. It houses the Music, Art, Photo, Graphic Design, Theater, Communications, Physical Education and Early Childhood Development Departments.
The entry foyer of The Center for Design, Media and the Arts at Alexandria Campus. Photo by Britt Conley
Our new Music Department resides on the left side of the building’s first two floors! You can get to the second floor by simply walking up the entry staircase. There are also elevators and handicap parking is right outside the building. All in all it’s really been wonderfuly designed.
Our new Barnes & Noble bookstore houses a Starbucks! Photo by Britt Conley
The Music Department is now conviently close the new Barns&Noble Bookstore, which houses its own Starbucks! They offer all the regular drink and food options that used to be a car ride away. They also offer numerous healthy food options as well as snacks.
The 1st floor, Music Department hallway at The Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo by Britt Conley
Long gone are the old, drab, Tyler hallways. Our new building walkways, offer TV screens and bulletin boards to grab information on the go. They also offer seating and easy access to great views and even a soda machine right there in the department on the second floor. Want to relax in between classes? There are plenty of places to grab a seat and plug right into any of the tables or walls nearby.
Second Floor Seating. Photo by Britt Conley
And of course there are our new rooms! One of the most important aspects to the new rooms is that nearly all of them, have piano and not just any piano: Steinways!
All of our teaching studios and practice rooms have pianos. Photo by Britt ConleyOur pianos at the Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo by Britt Conley
The main piano teaching studio has two Steinways and is perfect for duets.
Our new piano teaching studio has far more room and great pianos. Photo by Britt Conley
Even our instrumental teaching rooms have pianos. We are pretty thrilled.
Teaching Studio. Photo by Britt Conley
There are also numerous student practice rooms that have Ipad entry gates. We are setting them up in the coming weeks so that everyone can reserve their practice time. Each of the practice rooms offer our new Boston Steinway uprights. They sound great!
Our new practice rooms are wonderful! Photo by Britt Conley
We even have a new percussion room that is so spacious that our entire Jazz Band can easily jam. Plenty of room for marimbas and the sort!
Instrumental Percussion room. Photo by Britt Conley
Room 130 is not only our percussion teaching studio, it also doubles as the practice room for our drum students.
The Percussion room is large enough for our Jazz Band to Jam together. Photo by Britt Conley
We also have stunning new classrooms! The Theory room and Mac Lab are open all week for classes and Lab Hours.
Our New Music Theory Room offers a brand new Mac Lab! Photo by Britt Conley
And just when you think, you’ve seen it all… we now have Instrument Lockers!!! Yep, no need to walk all the way to your car with your instrument in between your day’s classes. See our teaching assistant, Jacob Gardner in the Mac Lap to reserve your locker.
Our New Instrument Storage Lockers!!! Photo by Britt Conley
The other great room we have now, is the new Recital/Choral Hall in room 118. It’s absolutely lovely. We’ve even broken it in with our first Concert!
Mark Valenti ConcertOur new Recital Hall. Photo by Britt Conley
A great program enjoyed by all. So if you haven’t gone for a full tour of the entire building, It’s all just as impressive. There is a workhout center on the second floor that is free to current students.
The Workout Center at The Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo by Britt Conley
And if you are really adventurous, stop by the third floor to see the visual Arts departments! The classrooms are just as nice!
The Drawing Studio. Photo by Britt Conle
We have a lot of upcoming events, so stay tuned, here on the blog and on our Facebook page Facebook/MusicatNova to find out what is happening next!
Blog Post by Britt Conley – Assistant to the Music Department
Since 1967, helping people of all ages grow in the joy of making music.
