Contact: Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
[email protected], 
651-385-6343

 Download High Resolution Photos: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h349bhdxl6ox1wm/michael-opp1.jpg 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kp28qhpjjt0wm6/curren-effinger.jpg 

For Immediate Release

Strings, Winds & Brass: Southeast Technical Variety Showcase set for March 29 at the Sheldon

Red Wing, MN (March 6, 2014) — This year, musically-inclined students have come from as far away as Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado - even Taiwan and Australia - to attend Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical in Red Wing, MN, where programs are offered in band instrument repair, violin repair, and guitar repair and building.

It’s no surprise that these accomplished performers join with others to continue their music-making interests while at the college. From that wellspring of talent, the Southeast Technical variety show has become an annual event at The Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing.

In February, groups were required to audition before an expert panel of nine college and community members. 15 musical acts (and one solo poet) - a total of 47 individuals - were selected to entertain at the showcase, newly titled Strings, Winds & Brass.

Strings Winds & Brass: Southeast Technical Variety Show  

• Saturday, March 29, 2014 at 7 pm 
• The Sheldon Theatre, 443 West Third Street, Red Wing
• Ticket prices: Adults $14.50, Students $9.50
• Purchase tickets: www.sheldontheatre.org or at the box office  

"We have an amazing depth and range of talent this year," according to Jo Poncelet, Southeast Technical Dean of Academics. "Our new title reflects that range. For strings, you’ll hear guitar, fiddle, mandolin and electric bass. For wind-powered music, you’ll hear flute, oboe, clarinet - and the human voice. For brass, we have tuba, trombone, euphonium and French horn. Plus - we even have a hurdy-gurdy player this year! And it's all styles of music - all the way from blues to bluegrass, old-time to Celtic, sacred to jazz and country to classical."

The music planned for the variety show comes from both the folk/traditional side, including songs with guitar, fiddle, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy; and the classical side, with instrumental duos and trios, a low brass choir and the Southeast Technical Wind Ensemble.

Here is a preview of just a few of the performances coming up at Strings, Winds & Brass:

• What’s a hurdy-gurdy? Michael Opp, a first year Guitar Repair and Building student from Jamestown, ND, will demonstrate the hand-cranked medieval French instrument as part of two ensembles: Luthier Than Thou, a 4-piece traditional group, and Pushing AEther, an electrified power rock trio of hurdy gurdy, electric bass and drums.   
  
  
• The Southeast Technical Wind Ensemble is a highly polished 27-person group that includes students from all three programs — band, guitar and violin. They have rehearsed at frequent intervals throughout the year and recently performed at the campus holiday party in December, where their professionalism set a very high mark. 

• Guitar Repair and Building student Curren Effinger is a singer-songwriter from Duluth, MN, who takes his mission to create original material seriously, saying "Music drives deep within, telling a story at every turn. It’s just a goal to create a perfect sound, a sound that makes people listen and feel they have been changed by hearing it." 

• Now in the Band Instrument Repair program at Southeast Technical, virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lehman studied jazz performance and composition at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He will put his talents to work with four different ensembles, playing piano for vocalist Karen Fettig and trombonist Derek Kwong; playing baritone saxophone in The Illtempered Saxophone quartet; and playing flute with the Southeast Technical Wind Ensemble.

For more information on Strings, Winds & Brass or Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical, contact Katryn Conlin, [email protected] or 1-651-385-6364.

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About Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical
With a clear mission of “Education for Employment,” Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical provides students a strong foundation for acquiring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need for a lifetime of learning. Its Winona and Red Wing campuses merged in 1992, becoming Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical in 1999. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.