Delta State University senior Greg Cobb from Collierville, Tenn., was recently honored by being selected from over 600 musicians from the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity to perform as a member of the first National Sinfonia Jazz Ensemble at the fraternity’s national convention in Orlando, Florida.
The jazz ensemble, named the 1898 Jazz Orchestra, was under the direction of James Ketch, Professor of Music and director of Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cobb, who earned the distinction of first chair, was one of 16 Sinfonians chosen by a nationwide audition of musicians from 11 universities throughout the United States and was one of only six Sinfonians in the nation to receive an assistance grant from the Sinfonia Education Foundation.
During the national convention, Cobb also had an opportunity to collaborate with respected musician and educator Jamey Aebersold, who participated in the ensemble’s rehearsals, jam sessions, and concert.
"Being able to come together with some of the nation’s up-and-coming jazz musicians, not to mention Jamey Aebersold, was one of the most humbling experiences of my life," said Cobb.
In his career at Delta State University, Cobb has served as president of the Delta State chapter of Grammy U, social chair of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia’s Theta Upsilon Chapter, and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society.
Cobb has also earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
His undergraduate college career will come to an end next weekend when he receives a B. A. in music from Delta State with an emphasis in Sound Recording Technology from the Delta Music Institute.
