To celebrate the Festival of the Arts, the Ferris State Jazz Band performed a variety of pieces, as well as the West Shore Community College Jazz Band.
The festival of the arts concert is one of 77 events celebrating the Festival of the Arts in February. This collaboration is the first time the Ferris State Jazz Band and the West Shore Community College Jazz Band have performed together in a concert. The concert took place on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Williams Auditorium.
The Ferris State Jazz Band took the stage during the first half of the concert. They performed a total of six pieces. Those included songs from classical performers such as Benny Carter and Pat Metheny.
The second half of the concert was for West Shore’s band. They performed six different pieces. The performers from their pieces were Andy Farber, Sammy Nestico, Paul Baker and more.
West Shore Community College Jazz Band director Ted Malt emphasized the honor of working with his band members.
“People drive 60 miles one way to be a part of the groups,” Malt said. “We’re just trying to provide a fun environment on behalf of music. These groups rehearse once a week, that’s it. Without them, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. We just keep this going every year, and it keeps perpetuating.”
Furthermore, Malt discussed the importance of the band performing a collaborative concert for the first time in a while.
“The last time we did a big collaboration was ten years ago,” Malt said. “To do this with the university, it’s kind of a new beginning. It really means a lot to me to bring our groups out and to let them hear what’s going on here and for Ferris to hear what’s going on with our groups.”
The West Shore Community College Jazz Band consists of 25 members. Those members are high school students and community college students.
Jazz band director and music professor Micah Laird found that the pieces the jazz band played, particularly “Follow Me,” embody the concept of the Festival of the Arts.
“I think our piece, “Follow Me,” shows growth, journey, and creativity,” Laird said. “The way that tone fits and ends really fits what we’ve seen from the Festival of the Arts. It gets to the end, and it doesn’t truly cadence the way that we think something is finalized. It ends like there’s more to come.”
Automotive engineering technology senior Kris Madhavan, who plays the alto saxophone, found it extraordinary to watch the West Shore Band perform.
“It’s actually humbling,” Madhavan said. “I just started getting into jazz and have started to show appreciation for it, and it’s really humbled me as a player. There’s a lot I’m realizing I don’t know, and watching them perform was even more humbling. Seeing some people who are still in high school, and perform as well as they did, it showed me that there’s still a lot to learn.”
For many of the members of the West Shore Band, the concert was their first time performing in Williams Auditorium.
High school junior Cael Omness, who plays the tenor saxophone, really enjoyed the opportunity to play in a new environment.
“It was really exciting for me as a high schooler,” Omness said. “The community and chemistry, getting to come here to a real university as opposed to some dinky high school auditorium is really nice, and it was a great opportunity.”
The jazz band has quite a few more concerts remaining in the spring 2026 semester. They have a spring concert on Thursday, April 16, and more to come.
Contact the faculty and staff at the Music Center for more information about the jazz band and their upcoming concerts.