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Community Concert Band
Community Concert Band
The Potomac State College-Community Concert Band is one of two instrumental ensembles that provides students with an outlet for performing music. The Concert Band consists of college students, high school students, and members of our surrounding communities. The repertoire for the ensemble ranges from standard and contemporary wind band literature to lighter, pops-style tunes.
The Concert Band is a non-auditioned group and is open to all PSC students who have prior experience performing with their high school band program. The Band rehearses weekly on Tuesday evenings at the Church-McKee Art Center and holds several performances throughout the academic year. For information on how to join and a specific semester schedule, please contact band director Dr. Brian Plitnik at Brian.Plitnik@mail.wvu.edu, or call 304-788-6969.
History
The PSC-Community Concert Band was formed in 1982 by Dr. Charles Whitehill, who had directed the college bands since 1961. Before Whitehill, the bands were conducted by Phillip Faini beginning in 1959, who was the first full-time band director at the college. At that time there was an all-male ROTC band, a stage band and a concert band. In 1982, Dr. Whitehill decided to form a college community band that would allow college musicians as well as community and public school musicians to perform. The ensemble was well received and the band continues to perform at the Church-McKee Auditorium as it has for over three decades.
Since his retirement from PSC in 1996, Dr. Whitehill has continued to perform with the band. Upon Dr. Whitehill’s retirement, Fred Kesner was named the band’s second director and led the group for ten successful years. Roger Walker was named the band’s third director in 2006. Mr. Walker has served as a band director and administrator for Mineral County Schools. D. Lynn Zeller became the band’s fourth director after retiring from 37 years of teaching as the band director at Braddock Middle School in Cumberland, MD. Next in line to direct, in 2014, was Richard Frush, retired band director from Keyser High School. In 2017, Fred Kesner returned to direct the PSC-Community Concert Band and in 2018, Jay Moon, a public school music educator in Allegany County, MD and director of the Potomac Concert Band in Cumberland, MD was named director.
Current Director
Dr. Brian Plitnik serves as the current director of the PSC-Community Concert Band. He earned music degrees from Frostburg State University and West Virginia University. In addition to teaching all music classes at Potomac State College, Plitnik previously served 11 years as the Trombone Instructor and Director of Trombone Ensembles at WVU, where he completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance. Plitnik has performed with a diverse collection of ensembles ranging from the West Virginia Public Theatre to the Morgantown Jazz Orchestra to the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. As a member of the West Virginia Brass Quintet, Plitnik has performed throughout the state of West Virginia and surrounding areas. As a conductor and clinician, Plitnik has specialized in brass ensemble literature and conducting pit orchestras for local musical theatre productions including the annual Spring musical at Potomac State College.
For more information about joining the PSC-Community Concert Band, please email Brian.Plitnik@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-788-6969.