Festival and Events
The Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance offers exciting music festivals throughout the year, bringing to campus hundreds of talented high school students and their directors to work with the world’s leading composers, conductors, ensembles, performers and scholars. These festivals are listed below in order of their appearance on the academic calendar.
Festivals
Choral Invitational
February 27, 2025
The Christopher Newport Choral Invitational is a remarkable opportunity for high school choruses to hone their craft by performing on stage in Peebles Theatre, participate in a workshop with CNU’s director of choral studies, Dr. John Irving, and prepare for upcoming competitions and assessments.
This free invitational takes place at Christopher Newport in the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Lunch will be provided. For more information, please contact Dr. John Irving at (757) 594–7825 or john.irving@cnu.edu.
Honor Band
January 16-18, 2026
Conductor: Dr. David W. Carter, Jr.
Dr. David W. Carter, Jr. currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Coastal Carolina University where he teaches undergraduate courses in music education and supervises preservice music teachers. Most recently, Carter served as the Director of Education and Outreach for Charleston Jazz–a non-profit organization focused on preserving and promoting the art of jazz. Throughout that time, Carter established a community school of music (Charleston Jazz Academy) focused on jazz education for students of all ages and experience levels.
A native of Charleston, SC, David holds his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Carolina, and both his Master of Music Education and Ph.D. in Music Education degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). During his time at USM, David served as a graduate assistant for both the university bands and jazz bands. As a graduate assistant for the jazz bands, he worked with Director of Jazz Studies, Mr. Larry Panella, directing the Jazz Lab Band II, coaching various jazz combos, performing in both the Jazz Lab I and the USM Jazz Sextet, and lecturing for jazz improvisation classes. His duties for the university bands included working with the marching band, the “Pride of Mississippi,” the concert ensembles, and guest lecturing for undergraduate conducting and music education classes.
David served as the Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chair at Cane Bay High School (Summerville, SC) where he was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year. Under his direction, his students and bands earned numerous Superior ratings at various competitions and festivals. Carter also travels throughout the southeastern United States as an active jazz, contemporary, and classical musician and clinician.
Dr. Carter’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Jazz Education Network (JEN), South Carolina Music Educators Association (SCMEA), Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu, and the South Carolina Band Directors Association (SCBDA) where he served as a member of the Jazz Committee. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Megan, and playing with his dogs—Miles, Ella, Charlie, and Abram.
Marching Captains Band Day
Perform alongside the Marching Captains at the first home football game of the season. Participants will spend a day practicing with the band and will take to the field that night to perform the pregame and halftime shows at TowneBank Stadium with the Marching Captains.
Schedule
Band day is on September 6, 2025.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | High school bands students arrive and register |
| 10:30 a.m. | Rehearsal |
| 11:45 p.m. | March to the stadium |
| 12:45 p.m. | Pregame show |
| 1 p.m. | Kickoff |
There is limited space, so sign up now to reserve your spot!
Music Educator Training
Registration is now available for Training in Dalcroze Eurhythmics from July 6-10, 2026! Eurhythmics is a movement-focused approach to creative music-making that is appropriate for all children in music education settings. Inservice and preservice music educators are invited to participate in the teacher training program! Participants will be able to enroll for non-credit or graduate credit and housing will be available at CNU.
Dr. Marla Butke and Dr. David Frego will be the course instructors. Both Dr. Butke and Dr. Frego are former Presidents of the American Eurhythmics Society and have years of experience offering Dalcroze Eurhythmics workshops to music educators across the country. They are excited to offer this special training to educators in Virginia and beyond!
Piano Day 2026
Christopher Newport University’s School of the Arts is thrilled to present Piano Day 2026! The event will take place on Saturday, November 21 in the beautiful Peebles Theatre.
Join us for a day dedicated to performing, learning, and sharing all about the best instrument! Piano Day offers a relaxed and welcoming opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of piano. This year will also feature an exciting demonstration of recording potential in virtual reality, showcasing cutting-edge ways to experience and share live performance.
Students interested in participating in the masterclass are invited to submit a video recording of their chosen piece to benjamin.corbin@cnu.edu.
About Piano Day
Piano Day is an opportunity for beginner, intermediate and advanced student pianists aged 12-18 who are studying piano privately to experience a day of music and learning in the beautiful Ferguson Center for the Arts.
About Dr. Corbin
Pianist Ben Corbin maintains an active schedule as a performer, teacher, and masterclass clinician. He was awarded top prizes in the Phi Beta Music Competition, OMTA Piano Competition, and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artists’ Competition. Described as an “incisive” pianist (Colorado Springs Gazette) and praised for his “sensitive keyboard work” (The Virginia Pilot), Ben has also been featured on classical radio KMFA in Austin, TX, WFMT Chicago, and WHRO in Virginia. He has had the privilege of performing at Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, The American Theater, the Ferguson Center for the Arts, and on the Dame Myra Hess International Concert Series, as well as a concerto soloist with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic, the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble, the Virginia Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra, and the Christopher Newport University Wind Ensemble.
Dr. Corbin holds degrees in Piano Performance (BM, MM) from the University of Oregon where he studied with Dean Kramer and David Riley, and Collaborative Piano (MM, DMA) from The University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Anne Epperson. Ben was awarded fellowships in collaborative piano to attend the Brevard Music Center and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. He has served as a member of the Collaborative Piano staff at the Meadowmount School of Music in New York, the International Clarinet Festival of Panamá, the Torggler Summer Vocal Institute, and Snow Pond Center for the Arts. Dr. Corbin is currently the Associate Professor of Piano and Collaborative Arts at Christopher Newport University, where he also serves as the Director of Keyboard Studies.
About Mark Valenti
Mark Valenti received his Master of Music from Northwestern University, Bachelor of Music from the Philadelphia Musical Academy and has studied with such notable teachers as Benjamin Whitten, Zoltan Kocsis, and Mary Sauer. In addition to giving solo recitals in cities throughout the U.S., Mr. Valenti has performed in France, Belgium, Hungary and Luxembourg, as well as for former First Lady Barbara Bush in Washington, D.C.
Mark Valenti has performed recitals live on WFMT classical radio. He has also done extensive work in the Jazz field, including performances with Gregory Hines, Frank Foster and Al Grey, and has appeared on television with Joe Sudler’s Swing Machine and singer/actor Christopher Durham.
Formerly a Professor of Music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Xavier University in Chicago, and the Loire Valley Music Institute in France, Mr. Valenti currently teaches at his studio in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
Trumpet Festival
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Ferguson Center for the Arts
The Trumpet Festivals are for trumpet enthusiasts of all ages, and feature professional and student trumpeters in performance along with an entire day of masterclasses, lectures and recitals. The entire day is free and open to the public.
All styles of trumpet performance are represented including engaging panels on practicing, performing and career development. Guest artists have included: Ashley Hall, Victor Haskins, David Vonderheide, Nadje Noordhuis, Steven Cunningham, Peyden Shelton and Fifth Bridge.
To inquire about the 2026 Trumpet Festival, please contact Professor Kelly Rossum for more information at kelly.rossum@cnu.edu or (757) 594-8812.
Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10-10:10 a.m. | Welcome: Kelly Rossum and CNU Trumpet Ensemble Fanfare Peebles Theatre |
| 10:10-10:50 a.m. | Gabriel DiMartino, “Warm-up Session” (bring your instruments) Peebles Theatre |
| 11 a.m.- noon | Masterclass with Peyden Shelton Peebles Theatre |
| noon-1 p.m. | Lunch* |
| 1-1:50 p.m. | Steven Cunningham “Trumpet Playing in All Styles" lecture and demonstration Peebles Theatre |
| 2-2:50 p.m. | “Careers in Trumpet,” with Nadje Noordhuis, Steven Cunningham, Peyden Shelton, Jason Crafton and Gabriel DiMartino Peebles Theatre |
| 3-3:50 p.m. | Nadje Noordhuis “Finding Yourself as a Musician” lecture and demonstration Diamonstein Concert Hall |
| 4 p.m. | Festival Trumpet Ensemble rehearsal (all attendees are invited to participate) Peebles Theatre |
| 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Dinner* |
| 6 p.m. | Trumpet Festival concert Diamonstein Concert Hall FREE admission |
*Lunch and dinner are "on your own." There are many restaurants within walking distance, including in the David Student Union.
Virginia Community Music Festival
April 26 and May 9-10, 2026
The Virginia Community Music Festival provides community music ensembles the experience of performing in the acoustically superb halls of the Ferguson Center for the Arts, celebrates and promotes lifelong music making, offers workshops and clinics on how to better serve the community and manage an organization, and enhances the cultural life of Hampton Roads.
About the Event
Why Participate
The festival presents public performances by community music ensembles throughout Virginia, in addition to lectures and workshops on health for adult musicians, audience development, fundraising and more. The concerts are free and open to the public and are held in Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Arts and Pope Chapel.
Each ensemble receives a professionally mastered video of its performance, and the performances in Diamonstein Concert Hall and Peebles Theatre are livestreamed. Participating ensembles may have a table in a lobby. Instrument, music and fundraising vendors will be on on site. Each ensemble’s performance can last no longer than 45 minutes. Christopher Newport provides chairs, stands, percussion instruments, choral risers, a Steinway 9-foot piano, podiums, an organ (Pope Chapel) and a microphone, all free of charge. There are several restaurants in the area, and Hilton Garden Inn Newport News is offering a special rate for all participants.
To Apply
Ensemble participation is free, and all concerts, lectures and masterclasses are free and open to the public. To apply for one of the limited performance times, please send either a video or a sound recording of a live, unedited performance from within the past two years to:
Virginia Community Music Festival
Department of Music
Christopher Newport University
1 Avenue of the Arts
Newport News, Virginia 23606
Please include the name of the ensemble and contact information (name, street address, e-mail address and telephone number).
For more information, please contact the Department of Music at (757) 594-7089 or Dr. Mark Reimer, director of music, at reimer@cnu.edu or (757) 594-7074.
Board of Advisers
- Dr. Tyler Austin, Director of Bands, Old Dominion University
- Mr. Daniel W. Boothe, Conductor, Symphonicity
- Prof. Jerry A. Bracey, Director of Orchestras, Hampton University
- Mr. Bruce Bronstein, Executive Director, Ferguson Center for the Arts
- Major (Ret.) William H. L. Garlette, U.S. Army Bands (Co-Founder)
- Dr. David Grandis, Director of Orchestras, William and Mary
- Dr. Raymond Jones, Classical Radio Producer and Host, WHRO 90.3 FM
- Mr. Bert Langeler, Chief Conductor, Estonian Conductors Wind Orchestra
- Dr. Richard Marcus, Director of Bands, William and Mary
- Dr. Yiannis Miralis, Director of Bands, European University Cyprus
- Prof. Janis Purins, Director of Bands, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music
- Mr. Rey Ramirez, Program Director, Soundscapes
- Dr. Mark Reimer, Director of Music, Christopher Newport University (Co-Founder)
Wind Ensemble Invitational
April 10, 2026
Each April, the Wind Ensemble Invitational presents three or four outstanding high school wind ensembles to perform in the Diamonstein Concert Hall in the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Each band performs a 20-minute program, and the CNU Wind Ensemble gives the final performance. Participation is by invitation only and is based on the quality and record of achievement of the ensemble.
Other Events
Contemporary Music Festival
March 23-24, 2024
This festival is a three-day event, including a concert by the featured guest composer, a concert featuring outstanding works for faculty soloists and ensembles, a concert of works by Christopher Newport student composers, and lectures and individual composition lessons by the guest composer. A special feature of the festival is a competition for high school student composers, including a performance of the winning work.
High School Composition Competition
Christopher Newport University is proud to present the High School Composition Competition, a prestigious competition for outstanding high school composers. The first-place prize is $500, and the winning composition will be performed on March 23, 2024, by the Faculty Brass Quintet as part of Christopher Newport University’s Contemporary Music Festival. The second-place winner will receive $250, and the third-place winner will receive $100. All winners will receive a recording of their piece as performed by the CNU Faculty Brass Quintet. The adjudicators include composition faculty Dr. Seung-Hye Kim, Dr. Kelly Rossum, Dr. Maxwell Tfirn and CNU’s chapter president of the Society of Composers, Inc.
Submission Procedures
- Each applicant must submit a completed work for brass quintet.
- The work should be no less than three minutes and no longer than six minutes.
- The submitted score should be emailed in PDF format and should include either an attached live recording or a MIDI realization (.mp3 format)
- Please include the following information along with your score:
- Full name, phone number and email address
- Mailing address (street, city, state and zip code)
- Name of your high school and your year in school (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
Deadline for submission: Friday, December 15, 2023.
Please email submissions to Dr. Kelly Rossum at kelly.rossum@cnu.edu or call with any questions (757) 594-8812.
International Symposia for Emerging Conductors Workshops
The International Symposia for Emerging Conductors (ISEC) is a series of workshops held regularly throughout the world to enhance the studies, skills and cultural awareness of young conductors, including Christopher Newport students.
ISEC programs offer students daily podium time with an ensemble, instant feedback from highly experienced educators, clinics on topics determined by the host directors, and activities that enhance the participants’ knowledge and appreciation of the music and culture of the host country.