Students selected to perform at Pennsylvania State Intercollegiate Band Festival

SCRANTON — Four University of Scranton students qualified for participation in the 69th Annual Pennsylvania State Intercollegiate Band Festival, which took place at Elizabethtown College in early March.

Each year students from 25-30 colleges and universities in the state are selected to participate in the festival. This year the students performed under the direction of guest conductor Michael Golemo, director of bands and chair of the Music Department at Iowa State University.

Scranton students participating included bassist Blake Lucas, a 2015 graduate of the university and a current MBA student from Hamburg; flautist Kathleen Heslin, a sophomore biology major from Smithtown, New York; trombonist Matthew Owens, a junior computer science and applied mathematics major from King of Prussia; and trumpeter William Rennekamp, a sophomore chemistry business major from Lake Ariel.

Founded in 1948, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band claims to be the oldest continually operating collegiate band festival of its kind in the United States. A different Pennsylvania college or university hosts the festival each year. Scranton hosted the festival in 1990 and 2000.

Four University of Scranton students were among the 110 students chosen to participate in the 69th Annual Pennsylvania State Intercollegiate Band Festival. From left, Cheryl Y. Boga, of South Abington Township, director of Performance Music at The University of Scranton; Blake Lucas, Kathleen Heslin, Matt Owens, and Will Rennekamp.

http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_ABJ-UofS-Band.jpg.optimal.jpgFour University of Scranton students were among the 110 students chosen to participate in the 69th Annual Pennsylvania State Intercollegiate Band Festival. From left, Cheryl Y. Boga, of South Abington Township, director of Performance Music at The University of Scranton; Blake Lucas, Kathleen Heslin, Matt Owens, and Will Rennekamp. Submitted photo