Welcome!
This is www.hcmusic.org, the official website for the Hinsdale Central High School Music Department. Here you will find the most current information about the music program. Use the linked navigation boxes above to explore.
Music Department Staff
Jennifer Burkemper
Choir Director
Matt Kurinsky
Band Director & Music Department Chair
Serge Penksik
Orchestra Director & AP Music Theory Teacher Department Mission Statement
The study of music involves participation, discussion and performance of musical works that have artistic and historical importance. Each student will strive to develop his or her own skills to the highest possible level. In support of these ideals, we endeavor to create quality large ensemble performances, study music of historical significance, rehearse separately and together to develop expertise, establish relationships that foster understanding, discover the relationships between music and culture, and become lifelong musical learners.
Recent News
The Former Lord Mayor of The City of Westminster
On Tuesday, February 28, 2015, Duncan Sandys, the Former Lord Mayor of The City of Westminster visited Hinsdale Central along with the Executive Director of London's New Year's Day Parade, Robert Bone, to officially invite the Red Devil Marching Band to perform in the 2016 parade. In addition to their remarks, the band performed and everyone enjoyed a reception in the lobby after the event. Thanks to everyone that made the Lord Mayor's site visit a success.
The Former Lord Mayor, Drum Majors, Directors, and Special Guests
Solo and Ensemble Best-at-site Awards |
The District 86 School Board approved the trip for the Hinsdale Central High School Red Devil Marching Band and the Combined Choirs to go to New York City from Thursday, November 9, through Sunday, November 12, 2017. This trip is open to all band and choir students as well as members of the color guard. Roommate Form Registration Orchestra Nashville/Memphis Tour 2018 The Hinsdale Central High School Red Devil Orchestra are planning a trip to Nashville and Memphis for February 15-20, 2018, pending school board approval. This trip will be open to all orchestra students (including current 8th graders). Any information provided on this form is tentative. We are looking for preliminary numbers. By filling out the Nashville/Memphis Orchestra Trip Survey, you are not committing your son, daughter, or yourself to attending this trip. The survey includes our full itinerary and list of inclusions. The approximate estimated cost will be $1000 per person - quad occupancy for students and double occupancy for chaperones. These prices are not official and are subject to change depending on the number of students and parents attending. Additional information can be found on the music department website, www.hcmusic.org. Concerto/Aria Winners Congratulations to: Viktor Kuru- Violin Laura Libera- Trumpet Jack Rasmussen- Voice Anna Lowery- Voice ILMEA District 1 Festival Participants On Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 85 Hinsdale Central High School music students, along with hundreds of students from other District 1 schools, auditioned for the Illinois Music Educator Association (ILMEA) Bands, Choirs, Orchestras, and Jazz Bands. Based on the results of those auditions, 40 students were invited to participate in the Jazz Festival on Saturday, November 12, at Thornridge High School in Dolton, IL, and the District Festival on Saturday, November 19, at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL. The top seated students at the district festivals will be invited to participate in the All-State and Honors ensembles during the Illinois Music Education Conference (IMEC) January 26-28, 2017, in Peoria, IL. Please join me in congratulating the students listed below who are participating in the ILMEA District 1 Festivals, along with the band directors, Matt Goeke and Matt Kurinsky, the choir director, Jen Burkemper, and the orchestra director, Serge Penksik. BAND Chinmay Amin (9) Euphonium Chitra Balakrishnan (12) Bb Clarinet Alexander Colban (10) Baritone Sax Jacinda Eskander (11) Flute Sean Goldthwaite (10) Alto Sax Laura Libera (12) Trumpet Margaret Litwin (10) Bass Clarinet Ben Lotsoff (11) Trombone Katherine Marcotte (11) Flute Davis Miller (11) Bb Clarinet Ethan Wang (11) French Horn CHORUS Evan Donaldson (12) Tenor I Alex Hughes (11) Soprano II John Koznarek (12) Bass II Anna Lowery (12) Soprano I James Mathew (12) Tenor I Nora Moran (12) Alto II Jack Rasmussen (12) Bass I Michelle Shen (10) Soprano II JAZZ BANDS Matt Alder (10) Trumpet Luke Berg (11) Trumpet Elisabeth Bieber (10) Trumpet Michael Callahan (12) Trombone} Terry Dunphy (12) Piano Parker Frankiewicz (11) Drum Set Jack Kanzler (12) Guitar Ben Lotsoff (11) Trombone Suhaib Qasim (11) Trombone ORCHESTRA Chase Ackerson (11) Violin Alice Ding (11) Violin Ashley Fu (11) Violin Jason Fu (9) Viola Giorgio Graziano (12) Viola Kevin Jin (9) Viola Viktor Kuru (12) Violin James Lekas (10) Cello Melissa Li (10) Violin Xinru Li (11) Viola Martin Berg (12) French Horn Alyssa Lee (9) Oboe Lana Millman (10) French Horn
Concert Percussion plays Trashed Out The video was shot on our phones and edited by Alex Shepardson and Zach Kanjirath. Spring Jazz Fundraiser  At 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at the Hinsdale Community House local jazz artist, Shawn Maxwell, joins the Hinsdale Central Jazz Program at the annual Spring Jazz Fundraiser Concert. $5 individual tickets and $10 family tickets will be sold at the door. Donate a used instrument and get in for free. All proceeds are donated to Schools Count Corp, the foundation of Dick Flesher, former Central Teacher, and will go to support the band program at LaVizzo Elementary in the Chicago Public Schools. Students should arrive at 5:30 pm to set up and sound check and dress up for the performance.  Shawn Maxwell, Guest Artist London's New Year's Day Parade 2016 Now that we have had a little time to digest our London experiences and catch up on sleep we want to put together a few final thoughts about the trip. Online Survey If you participated in the trip, please take a few minutes to fill out our own LNYDP 2016 Google form as well as the Youth Music of the World Survey about your experience. Photos Video Jazz Ensemble Performance at Mullen's  Jazz Ensemble performing at Mullen's The Hinsdale Central Jazz Ensemble recently performed at Mullen's Bar & Grille in Lisle along with the Pete Ellman Big Band. Thanks to Pete Ellman and Ellman's Music for providing the performance opportunity and to Mullen's for hosting an outstanding event. | Performing Arts Calendar
The Performing Arts Calendar has been entered into Google. You can sync it to your phone or desktop and always access it through our website. Click on the Google logo and use your personal Google account to open a full page calendar that you can customize. Or just click on our Calendar link.
Early Bird Schedule Jazz classes will begin on Thursday, September 1, with a B Day: Jazz Lab with an information meeting. Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Band will begin on Friday, September 2 . The early bird classes meet every-other-day from 7:00 to 7:50 am on a two-week rotating schedule. On designated Monday late starts, early bird will run from 8:00 to 8:40 am. A DAY: Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra B DAY: Jazz Lab, Orchestra Winds & Percussion Late Start Mondays MAY
2014 IMEC Percussion Demonstration Clinic Congratulations to the Concert Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Percussion Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble percussionists on their combined acceptance to perform in a demonstration clinic at the Illinois Music Educators Association’s (IMEA) Illinois Music Education Conference (IMEC) in the Peoria Civic Center at 3:45 pm on Friday, January 24, 2014. This conference is hosted by IMEA, part of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), whose mission is to promote and support music as a vital component in the complete education of every child. Each March, IMEA accepts applications to perform and present at the next year’s “All-State” Conference. Applicants must submit recordings of two music selections as well as respond to questions about the program, department, school, and surrounding community. A panel of music educators not affiliated with IMEA judge the recordings, which are anonymous and do not contain school identification. Several schools or presenters in each division (band, orchestra, choir, jazz, and general music) are selected to perform as featured ensembles or present clinic sessions at the annual conference. Selected ensembles perform a 30 minute concert or 60 minute demonstration clinic for an audience of music educators. IMEA does not operate as a competitive organization. Therefore, being selected as a featured ensemble for the IMEA “All-State” Conference is one of the highest honors that a high school ensemble can receive in Illinois. Many music educators consider it “winning the state title” for the year. Director Matt Kurinsky and Associate Director Matt Goeke are proud of the growth of the Hinsdale Central percussion students and the music program. They feel that this recognition highlights the exceptional musicianship of their students, the overall excellence of the band program, and the great amount of support provided by the administration, school board, and Hinsdale community. The demonstration clinic will be an opportunity to share the successful aspects of our percussion program with music educators from across the state. |
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