September 07, 2001

Member Of WKU Symphonic Band Third In International Event

Bowling Green, Ky. - Brandon M. Jones, a member of the Western Kentucky University Symphonic Band, finished third recently in an international music competition.

Jones, a sophomore from Bremen, competed in the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference (ITEC) Euphonium Competition in Lahti, Finland.

Jones, the son of David and Cindy Jones, was among hundreds of musicians worldwide who submitted audition tapes and just one of 11 selected to perform in Finland.

In the history of the ITEC competition, Jones was the youngest player ever selected for the finals, according to Dr. John Carmichael, director of bands at WKU. He finished third behind Jason Ham of Georgia and Mark Jenkins of North Texas.

Before the Finland competition, Jones had never competed in a solo contest or performed with an orchestra. By comparison, the other two finalists had considerable experience in international competition, Dr. Carmichael said

"Brandon represented Western's Music Department and Kentucky instrumental music education in an outstanding manner," he said.

After the first two rounds, Jones advanced to the finals along with Ham and Jenkins. "All three players gave wonderful performances," Dr. Carmichael said. "According to the jury members, it was a very close and very difficult decision."

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