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Shelley Jacob Inge talks about the upcoming Pops Dinner Concert

GENTRY: And now Great Arts at Eastern, from the Portales campus of Eastern New Mexico University. I’m Jeff Gentry, Dean of the College of Fine Arts here on KENW, Your Public Radio Network. Today my guest is Shelley Jacob Inge, a senior music education major at ENMU. Thank you for being on the show today.

INGE: Will thank you for inviting me.

GENTRY: You bet. Coming out of Alamogordo, New Mexico, did you pursue music from a young age?

INGE: I actually started when I was really young with my grandfather in bluegrass music. And then, when I got to sixth grade, I switched over to band and started playing classical music so.

GENTRY: Right, so you play the horn. Is that right?

INGE: Among other things,

GENTRY: You play Others-. Tell me, what else do you play?

INGE: Well, I'm actually here studying for tuba, and then I play French horn for the concert bands, and then I play trombone for jazz band.

GENTRY: Alright, so for the Pops Concert, will you be playing the French horn?

INGE: Yes, Sir.

GENTRY: Excellent, and who teaches your private lessons?

INGE: Mr. Seifert for tuba.

GENTRY: Right, and so are you kind of self-taught on the horn these days?.

INGE: Um, kind of. I have worked with professors here, but. Not this semester.

GENTRY: Great, well, The Pops Dinner Concert is a 50 plus year tradition. How many of these events have you played?

INGE: This will be my fourth.

GENTRY: Alright, fantastic. And the Dinner, by the way, this is a scoop that you and I are delivering. Shelley the Dinner features a spring mix salad; stuffed breast of chicken with ricotta cheese; seasoned wild rice, and dessert is either chocolate mousse or Graham cracker shell cheesecake. And there's a vegetarian option.

INGE: Awesome, yeah, so that’s that sounds delicious.

GENTRY: That sounds great, doesn't it? Hey, can you tease some of the musical selections for the Pops concert this year?

INGE: I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a lot of really fun music that’s gonna have the audience. You know, having a lot of fun with.

GENTRY: So, there's some toe-tapping music, I suppose.

INGE: Yes, Sir.

GENTRY: That's fantastic, so will The Name That Tune contest be back this year?

INGE: It will be, and it's fun.

GENTRY: Yeah, that is a heated competition. We have some perennial champions and-, and competitors contenders for that. So, and that's something you really have to keep quiet, right?

INGE: Yes, sir.

GENTRY: Yeah were under strict secrecy. Of course, we don't get to know it's on a need-to-know basis, and the Dean doesn't need to know. So, have you gotten to rehearse with the Swanee Singers, or is everything you do independent?

INGE: I haven’t been to a rehearsal where there’s been any Swanee Singers, but-.

GENTRY: So, I guess you’ll do your stuff. They’ll do their stuff. And-.

INGE: Yes, Sir.

GENTRY: OK, well, that’s that sounds really good. So Shelley, can you tell me what technical challenges do you face when you play the horn that maybe other musicians wouldn't know about?

INGE: Intonation is like a big one. The French horn is pretty hard to keep in tune, and then it's also a range issue. Being a tuba player and having to play some really high notes on the French horn is probably one of the biggest struggles I have. But it's a lot of fun, and it's pretty challenging and has a lot of room for growth.

GENTRY: Right, and so I was trying to learn a little bit more about the horn today. And so. You do some special things like with your volume or your breath support that actually changes the pitch., Is that right?

INGE: Yeah, to an extent. Most of our pitch changes with our tongue, which is like how it's placed in our mouth. But our air does have a lot to do with it, So-.

GENTRY: Right.

INGE: That’s all brass for that aspect, and most of the woodwinds too.

GENTRY: But then you also use your right hand to change things up, right?

INGE: Yes, Sir, by right hand can adjust the pitch like more than you would expect.

GENTRY: Yeah, well, that’s just really cool. You know, I-, I have never learned a wind instrument myself, but to hear the sweet notes that you guys can play is-, is just really impressive.

INGE: Well, thank you, yeah, and it's never too late to learn, Doctor Gentry.

GENTRY: Oh, good, thank you. I like the encouragement. Thank you, Shelley. So, Shelley Inge has been my guest today. Tickets for The Pops Concert-. The Pops Dinner Concert are on sale now, but the deadline is tomorrow, Friday. So, by tomorrow afternoon you need those tickets. For information, call Kathy Salter at (575)359-0145. The concert is Saturday, November 20th at 7:00 PM at ENMU’s Campus Union Ballroom. Shelley, thank you for joining me today.

INGE: Thank you for having me.

GENTRY: And our listeners can find all the Great Arts at Eastern at enmu.edu/FineArtsEvents such as the play Gruesome Playground Injuries opening next Thursday. Thanks for listening on KENW, Your Public Radio Network.


Pops Concert

Featuring the ENMU Wind Symphony and Swanee Singers

Dustin Seifert, Jason Paulk, and Sidney Shuler, conductors

Ballroom, Campus Union (CUB)

Saturday, November 20th, 2021, at 7 PM.

For ticket information, contact

Kathy Salter at 575.359.0145.


Gruesome Playground Injuries

Written by Rajib Joseph

Directed by Ricky Quintana

Studio Theatre, University Theatre Center (UTC)

Thursday, November 18th, 2021, at 7 PM.

Friday, November 19th, 2021, at 7 PM.

Saturday, November 20th, 2021, at 7 PM.

Sunday, November 21st, 2021, at 2 PM.

General admission: $10

Free admission with valid ENMU Student ID

Senior citizens (60+) admission: $7

Active military admission: $7

Related Content
  • Join ENMU College of Fine Arts Dr. David Steffens each week on "Great Arts at Eastern," as he interviews artists, actors, entertainers and musicians about their craft and events they produce at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. "Great Arts at Eastern" airs once a week about 12:35 p.m. MT on Thursdays on KENW–FM.This program also is available online by clicking the title of an individual episode listed below.