Warner Robins Community Concert Association presents Hot Club Jazz Fellowship

WARNER ROBINS — The Warner Robins Community Concert Association will host a Hot Club Jazz Fellowship on Sunday, March 1, at First United Methodist Church. 

The fellowship will present Parisian-style jazz standards and notable musicians Django Reinhardt and Edith Piaf. Romantic ballads and waltzes will be performed as well. 

The concert will feature jazz organist Matthew Kaminski. WRCCA Treasurer Edward Vesely shared Kaminski is the official organist for the Atlanta Braves. He is also a pianist and accordionist.

Joining Kaminski in the ensemble are Dan Coy on guitar, Marc Miller on bass, Marla Feeney on violin and Alvard Mayilyan on vocals. 

After much discussion, Vesely shared that the association would like to offer classical music and a different type of entertainment for the community. 

Vesely has been involved with WRCCA for the past three months. He said he has no musical background, but his love for it motivated him to join the association. 

He grew up in Chicago and listened to the Blues. Later on, Vesely started gaining an appreciation for classical music, which is now one of his favorite genres. 

He shared he often attends shows from the Mercer-Macon Symphony Orchestra and the Fabian Concert Series, which are string quartet groups. 

“Those are wonderful to listen to. I got interested in that and then my wife was invited to join [the association] and she asked me to come along. That’s how we got onto the board,” he said. 

The last group the association invited was Take Three, who the audience loved, Vesley said. He shared that they were heavily involved with the audience and will be performing again on April 25. 

They are also looking to invite students from Mercer University to be in next year’s program. Vesely said they performed for WRCCA last year, and would love to have them back. 

WRCCA has a jam-packed year ahead, filled with concerts for the community to enjoy. 

On April 19, Mary Stephenson and Sarah Divaker will take the stage performing timeless instruments: the violin and the harp. 

In November, they will have an ensemble celebrating the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Also in the same month, on Nov. 15, the Palmetto Saxophone Quartet will perform various variations for the instrument. 

Vesely said they are trying to fill the months of May and September with more entertainment.

The association is aiming to get the word out about their events, rather than solely relying on “word-of-mouth.” Vesely hopes to attract young people to their concerts. 

He shared that it has been difficult to reach younger people, but he proposed inviting chorus groups from local high schools to perform to help address the problem. 

“I think if they really had an opportunity to see and listen to this type of music, I think a majority will love it and would probably come back. That’s one of the things I want to do is to be able to make this available to the younger crowd,” he said. 

The Hot Club Jazz Fellowship will take place Sunday, March 1, at 3 p.m. Concerts are held at First United Methodist Church, located at 205 North Davis Drive. 

To keep up with WRCCA and purchase tickets here.