The faculty and staff of the YPAS Band Department know that music has the power to nurture, console, replenish, and inspire the spirit - all while affirming our humanity. It is our conviction that music education is a basic and necessary component of a well-balanced educational program.
All students who are admitted to duPont Manual High School, no matter their major (MST, HSU, CMA, or VA) are eligible to audition to participate in the YPAS Band Program. After receiving notice of your admission to Manual, simply contact Mr. Essig at the email address below to schedule an audition.
Curtis.essig@jefferson.kyschools.us
All students who are admitted to duPont Manual High School, no matter their major (MST, HSU, CMA, or VA) are eligible to audition to participate in the YPAS Band Program. After receiving notice of your admission to Manual, simply contact Mr. Essig at the email address below to schedule an audition.
Curtis.essig@jefferson.kyschools.us
Faculty and Staff |
Course Offerings |
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Mr. Curtis Essig, Director of Bands
Mr. Essig has been a faculty member at the Youth Performing Arts School since 1993. Mr. Jason Gregory, Assistant Director of Bands Mr. Gregory joined the YPAS faculty in 2008. Sectional Staff Mr. Don Gottlieb, Flute Specialist Mr. Trevor Johnson, Oboe Specialist Mrs. Angela Soren, Clarinet Specialist Mr. Ron Jones, Saxophone Specialist Mr. Roger Soren, Bassoon Specialist Dr. Jim Recktenwald, Trumpet Specialist Mr. John Little, Horn Specialist Mr. Bob Spiegelhalter, Trombone Specialist Mr. Chris Schmidt, Tuba / Euphonium Specialist Private Teachers FLUTE Don Gottlieb, Kathy Karr, Charlotte Roth, Kim Spaulding OBOE Doug Harville, Trevor Johnson, Jennifer Potochnic CLARINET Brandon Bell, Amanda McGehee, Marilyn Nije, Carrie Ravenstem, Angela Soren, Walter Yee BASSOON Roger Soren, Jackie Royce SAXOPHONE Cory Barnfield, Brandon Bell, David Clark, Adam McCord, Ron Jones, Derek Siebert TRUMPET Melanie Dillman, Ryan Nottingham, Jim Recktenwald, Stacy Simpson, Craig Twedell FRENCH HORN Steve Causey, Colin Dorman, Diana Morgen TROMBONE Stasi Fafalios, Brian Heath, Chad O'Brian, Bob Spiegelhalter EUPHONIUM Chris Schmidt TUBA Chris Schmidt, John Jones PERCUSSION Greg Byrne, Cole Gregory, Michael Lanius, Michelle Lewis, Jeremy McMonigle, Neil Rao, Mark Tate Piano Accompanist and Solo Performance Coach Debbie Dierks |
Wind Ensemble
Symphonic Band Percussion Ensemble Chamber Ensemble Intermediate Band Jazz Ensemble Jazz Improvisation Music Theory I Music Theory AP Pit Orchestra Student AchievementsALL-COUNTY ENSEMBLES 2019-2020
Total Placements = 132 Full Orchestra Winds, Brass and Percussion = 19 Wind Ensemble = 54 Symphonic Band = 35 Percussion Ensembles = 14 Jazz Ensemble = 10 ALL-STATE ENSEMBLES 2021 Total Placements = 46 Full Orchestra Winds, Brass and Percussion = 12 Symphonic Band = 10 Concert Band = 16 Percussion Ensemble = 3 Jazz Ensemble One = 5 LOUISVILLE YOUTH ORCHESTRA 2019-2020 Total Placements = 19 Symphony Orchestra Winds, Brass and Percussion = 14 Repertory Orchestra Winds, Brass and Percussion = 5 |
ADDITIONAL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Announcing the 2020 G. Schirmer Prize for Luna Composition Lab - 2nd October 2020 © KiMani Bridges
G. Schirmer & Associated Music Publishers, part of Wise Music Group, is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2020 G. Schirmer Prize for Luna Composition Lab is KiMani Bridges, with Honorable Mention for Olivia Bennett. Inaugurated in 2019, the G. Schirmer Prize offers recognition and mentorship for select works by composers participating in Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid’s education program, which is sponsored by the Kaufman Music Center. Now in its fifth season, Luna Lab provides aspiring young female-identifying, non-binary, and gender nonconforming composers (ages 12-18) with a year of one-on-one mentorship, performance opportunities, and high-quality recordings of their work.
The G. Schirmer Prize is an annual award with a commitment for the next five years, offering access to publishing industry professionals and a cash prize, as well as educational mentoring and networking opportunities, to one Luna Lab composer each year.
“G. Schirmer, Inc/AMP is proud to once again honor and support the vital work of the Luna Composition Lab, its visionary leadership, and their partners The Kaufman Music Center. In an extremely challenging year they continued to provide a dynamic training program for these select emerging composers, providing them opportunities for both personal artistic growth and practical insights into the professional side of their present and future work. We eagerly look forward to following the development of KiMani, Olivia, and all the other very gifted composers in the program.”
— Peggy Monastra, Senior Promotion Adviser, Opera
“We are thrilled that KiMani’s originality and talent has been recognized by G. Schirmer. The resources provided through the Schirmer Prize will help provide KiMani the support necessary to reach the next stage in her musical journey, and we can’t wait to see what she does next. Congratulations to both KiMani and also to Olivia Bennett for her Honorable Mention.”
— Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid
2020 G. Schirmer Prize Recipient – KiMani Bridges
The Flower (2020)
flute, violin, viola, percussion
“My experience with the Luna Lab was amazing!! When I was accepted, I had only been writing for a little over a year and the program allowed me to explore what music was to me and how I relate to it. With the masterclasses, working with my mentor Ellen Reid, and talking with the other Luna Lab Fellows, the program as a whole gave me a boost of confidence and has aided me in learning how to trust myself, think realistically, and to believe in my craft. I’m very grateful to be a part of the Luna Lab. When I received the G. Schirmer prize, I was overjoyed! I’m excited to be a part of this program and learn more about the business side of music.”
— KiMani Bridges
Bridges, a senior at duPont Manual Magnet High School/Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky, is a flutist and a composer. She has been playing the flute since she was 11 and started composing in 11th grade. She partakes in her school’s Symphonic Band, Chamber Ensemble, and Composition class. She has received numerous distinguished ratings for flute in KMEA Solo and Ensemble, has performed at Walt Disney World and the Field Museum, and has participated in multiple summer music camps. Her music has been performed at the University of Louisville, in her school’s New Works Festival, and recently was part of the Loretto Project’s Pathways Initiative Program. She was recently selected as a 2020 American Composers NextNotes winner. KiMani will be pursuing a career in music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music beginning in fall 2020.
G. Schirmer & Associated Music Publishers, part of Wise Music Group, is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2020 G. Schirmer Prize for Luna Composition Lab is KiMani Bridges, with Honorable Mention for Olivia Bennett. Inaugurated in 2019, the G. Schirmer Prize offers recognition and mentorship for select works by composers participating in Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid’s education program, which is sponsored by the Kaufman Music Center. Now in its fifth season, Luna Lab provides aspiring young female-identifying, non-binary, and gender nonconforming composers (ages 12-18) with a year of one-on-one mentorship, performance opportunities, and high-quality recordings of their work.
The G. Schirmer Prize is an annual award with a commitment for the next five years, offering access to publishing industry professionals and a cash prize, as well as educational mentoring and networking opportunities, to one Luna Lab composer each year.
“G. Schirmer, Inc/AMP is proud to once again honor and support the vital work of the Luna Composition Lab, its visionary leadership, and their partners The Kaufman Music Center. In an extremely challenging year they continued to provide a dynamic training program for these select emerging composers, providing them opportunities for both personal artistic growth and practical insights into the professional side of their present and future work. We eagerly look forward to following the development of KiMani, Olivia, and all the other very gifted composers in the program.”
— Peggy Monastra, Senior Promotion Adviser, Opera
“We are thrilled that KiMani’s originality and talent has been recognized by G. Schirmer. The resources provided through the Schirmer Prize will help provide KiMani the support necessary to reach the next stage in her musical journey, and we can’t wait to see what she does next. Congratulations to both KiMani and also to Olivia Bennett for her Honorable Mention.”
— Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid
2020 G. Schirmer Prize Recipient – KiMani Bridges
The Flower (2020)
flute, violin, viola, percussion
“My experience with the Luna Lab was amazing!! When I was accepted, I had only been writing for a little over a year and the program allowed me to explore what music was to me and how I relate to it. With the masterclasses, working with my mentor Ellen Reid, and talking with the other Luna Lab Fellows, the program as a whole gave me a boost of confidence and has aided me in learning how to trust myself, think realistically, and to believe in my craft. I’m very grateful to be a part of the Luna Lab. When I received the G. Schirmer prize, I was overjoyed! I’m excited to be a part of this program and learn more about the business side of music.”
— KiMani Bridges
Bridges, a senior at duPont Manual Magnet High School/Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky, is a flutist and a composer. She has been playing the flute since she was 11 and started composing in 11th grade. She partakes in her school’s Symphonic Band, Chamber Ensemble, and Composition class. She has received numerous distinguished ratings for flute in KMEA Solo and Ensemble, has performed at Walt Disney World and the Field Museum, and has participated in multiple summer music camps. Her music has been performed at the University of Louisville, in her school’s New Works Festival, and recently was part of the Loretto Project’s Pathways Initiative Program. She was recently selected as a 2020 American Composers NextNotes winner. KiMani will be pursuing a career in music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music beginning in fall 2020.
Anetta Kendall and Josh Polion with Doc Severinsen (top) and Ronald Romm (bottom) - 2019
Alison Addie - Winner of the Louisville Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition 2018
Alison Addie - Winner of the Jack Kent Cooke Award through her audition for and appearance on NPRs nationally syndicated radio show From the Top
Jiwon Jung - Winner of the Louisville Youth Repertory Orchestra Concerto Competition 2018
Nicholas Recktenwald - 2nd place overall in the National Trumpet Competition held in Dallas, Texas 2018
Nicholas Recktenwald - Named the 2018 Gheens Foundation Young Artist