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Time:

Thursday
December, 16, 2021
05:45 PM - 06:45 PM

Location:

W 183

Category

Chamber Ensemble

Conductor

Conductor Thumb
Jessica Sneeringer

Program

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Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

The Athena Brass Band made its debut in 2003 by invitation at the International Women's Brass Conference held at Illinois State University. Founded and formed by Laura Lineberger, a euphonium player and brass band aficionado, it is the first all-female brass band in the United States. The success of their first performance resulted in further invitations to perform at the Great American Brass Band Festival (2005), additional IWBC Conferences (2006, 2012, 2014, and 2019), the Brass Band Invitational at Indiana University Southeast (2009), and the Gettysburg Festival (2012 and 2015). In 2012, they gave the premier performance of Athenian Fanfare which was written for the ensemble by Lisa Galvin. In forming Athena in 2003, Laura Lineberger first enlisted Anita Cocker Hunt as their conductor. At the time, Anita was the Director of the Cincinnati Brass Band and President of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA). Laura then set to work contacting some of the top women brass players in the United States. Through the years, Jessica Sneeringer and Kate Wohlman have also taken their turn on the podium directing the band. The musicians of Athena come from varied backgrounds. They include current and former members of the United States Army Band, The United States Coast Guard Band, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the New Sousa Band. There are also several college professors, public music school teachers, educators, conductors, music therapists, a sound engineer, a music publisher and a composer. In addition there is a nuclear physicist, a biologist, a sociologist, an MBA and an author. Most of the ladies perform with a NABBA brass band.

Athena Brass Band

Conductor's Bio

Jessica Sneeringer is a graduate of The Ohio State University earning Bachelor’s Degrees in both Music Education and Trombone Performance as well as a Masters Degree in Music Education. Jessica is currently in her 22nd year of teaching, this being her 17th year as the Director of Bands at Columbus Academy in Gahanna, Ohio as well as the Chair of the Performing Arts Department. A member of the Central Ohio Brass Band since 1999, she held the solo trombone chair until 2004, when she stepped onto the podium. Over the 16 years that she conducted COBB the group enjoyed much success, including being 1st Section Champions a record five times at the North American Brass Band Association championships and being invited to such pretigious events as the Great American Brass Band Festival, the Butlins Contest in the UK, and the 2019 International Trombone Festival. She is looking forward to being one of the six judges on the NABBA adjudiction panel this spring of 2022. Jessica has been a clinician, judge, and coach for several outstanding student groups including the Ohio State University Marching Band, Capital University Junior Winds, The Ohio All-State Band, and The All-Ohio State Fair Band. Jessica is currently on staff at Jazz Arts Group (Columbus) as the director of the Columbus Youth Jazz Ensemble as well as one of the directors of the Columbus Community Jazz Band. A freelance trombonist, Jessica has performed with many groups including the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra (under the direction of Todd Stoll), the 1999 Disney Collegiate All-Star Band (lead), Athena Brass Band (bass), Monarch Brass (bass), We Banjo 3, a variety of other jazz ensembles, and is currently second trombone in the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra. Jessica is a member of the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity. As a conductor, Jessica has been a guest with several groups, including Holiday Brass (Baltimore), the Brass Band of Columbus, and the Otterbein University Wind Ensemble. Since 2012, Jessica has been the conductor of the Athena Brass Band, having had the honor of conducting the group on several occasions. She is very appreciative and honored to have the opportunity to conduct the Athena Brass Band again this December at the Midwest Clinic as well as in May 2022 at the International Women’s Brass Conference held at the University of North Texas. Jessica makes her home in Columbus, Ohio with her partner Sarah and their kids Josh, Thomas, Avery, and Jordan.

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