The Denison Bluegrass Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Swasey Chapel (200 Chapel Drive). Directed by Mark Wade, trumpet instructor, and Casey Cook, bluegrass instructor, the ensemble plays a blend of traditional Appalachian, country bluegrass and progressive acoustic music. In this free concert, both directors will join 17 students, who are a mixture of violinists, violists, mandolin players, guitarists and vocalists.

Cook got involved in bluegrass as a child in his family’s band, Special Cookin’. Cook and his brother were inducted into the North Florida Bluegrass Association Hall of Fame as the youngest professionally performing duo in bluegrass. He went on to co-found an Atlanta-based bluegrass band, the Dappled Grays, with which he still plays and sings.

A newcomer to the ensemble, Wade has appeared in a number of local orchestras, including the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra, the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. Wade’s trumpet playing has earned him the audience of notables such as presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Members of the Bluegrass Ensemble include: seniors Matthew Bishop, Davis Bourland, Amy Brown, Matthew Clough-Hunter, Matthew Ezzard, Benjamin Kraus, Brynn Lewallen, and Jonathan Mecoli; juniors Alice Burger, Zachary Elmassian, Robert Flax, Hayes Griffin, and Caitlin Splawski; sophomores Katherine Azzolini, Eric Brisson, and Caroline Spence; and first-year student William MacLean.

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