Noon Hour Concert

Description

Performing at the Noon Hour Concert on Thursday, August 24 at Calvary Lutheran in Park Rapids, 12:15 to 12:45 will be the Bemidji Brass Quartet,  Kyle Riess and Craig Swartz on trumpet, Eve Sumsky on horn, Alyssa Konecne on trombone and Logan Frericks on tuba.
 

Dr. Kyle J. Reiss, trumpet, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy in Duluth, MN.  He received his musical training under Dr. George Hitt, Ramon Vasquez and Dr. Mark Whitlock.  He currently lives in Bemidji where he is a member at St. Mark Lutheran Church and serves by worship planning and playing in worship services.  He also plays in several area music groups including the Bemdji Brass, Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Bemidji Area Community Band, Park Rapids Area Community Band and more.

Craig Swartz, trumpet, earned a BME from Augustana College (IL) in 1974 and an MS in MU Ed from Bemidji State U in 1987.  He retired in 2012 after 40 years as a public school instrumental music instructor and has been a Cass Lake summer resident since the 1970s.  He is a 35+ year tenured member of Des Moines Symphony, Principal Trumpet of Bemidji Symphony, plays trumpet with NLOC pit orchestra and with the Upper Mississippians in Park Rapids.  He played many years with the Bemidji Big Band, Bemidji Community Band and has performed with the Park Rapids Community Band.  He is currently Trumpet Prof at Grinnell College and has also taught brass at Augustana College, Grandview University and Drake University. He taught at the Bemidji State University MusiCamp for over 25 years, directing the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Bands, and teaching brass lessons, Jazz Improv, Music Theory/Fundamentals and other courses as they arose.

Alyssa Konecne, trombone, earned a BS in music education from Bemidji State University.  She currently teaches classroom music, elementary band and elementary choir at Magelssen Elementary School in Fosston, MN.  She played many years with the Bemidji Big Band, has performed with the Park Rapids Area Community Band, is the principal trombonist for the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra and also performs in several other local music groups – Trombones of Bemidji, the Upper Mississippians and the Northern Light Opera Company.  

Eve Sumsky, horn, studied music education at the University of Iowa, Iowa City (Bachelor of Music) and St. Thomas University, St. Paul (Master of Arts in Music Education.) She taught beginning band and elementary music for 34 years at Bemidji Schools, retiring in 2013.   She has played French Horn since high school and performs regularly in the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Bemidji Brass Quintet, Bemidji Community Band and other ensembles in the area.

Logan Frericks, Tuba, is from Bemidji, MN. He is a student at Bemidji State University, studying Instrumental Performance. Logan is wanting to pursue a career in film scoring, and plans to major in composition in grad school. He has written works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and full orchestra, and has recently found work writing commissions. He was the Principal Tubist for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Honor Band, and will be playing with the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra for the 2023-24 season.