First Army civilian Jill King serves the unit as a Human Resources officer, playing a key role on a big team. She has done likewise as a member of several musical groups as a trumpeter and opera singer.
When doing so, King draws on nearly four decades of having studied and played music. Her long list of musical groups played with include the Augustana College Symphonic Band, the Augustana College Orchestra, the 1st Armored Division Band, the 56th Army Band (I Corps), the Illinois All State Honors Band, and the Handel Oratorio Society. Her operatic résumé includes having performed with Augustana, Opera Quad Cities, the Handel Oratorio Society, the Quad City Music Guild, the Redeemer Lutheran Church Chancel Choir, and many more.
Despite her longtime musical journey, King continues to practice at least an hour a day, which she cites as the key to attaining and maintaining proficiency. It all pays off, as King said she enjoys “the challenges that come with it and the sense of accomplishment with learning new skills”
She finds playing in orchestras in symphonies to be a fulfilling experience, but not a uniform one.
“Every group has its own personality, so it varies based on what group and how long I’ve played with them,” King explained. “Honor bands, for example, are fast and you don’t get quite as much personality out of them. Bands that perform together for extended periods of time develop their own personality and interpretation of the music. It’s fun to see how it evolves. Overall, I do like how everyone comes together to create. In ensembles, we love music, and we work together to create an experience that’s fun for us and, hopefully, fun for the people listening.
Everyone is working on their own part, but it all comes together to create this one beautiful experience for everyone.”
Her favorite type of music to play is classical she said: “Anything big and brassy, so Baroque music is fun in brass quintets, but also Big brassy band or orchestra pieces, like Berlioz, Stravinsky, Bernstein.”
While music is one of her great passions, King pushes back against the notion that its performers should be happy to be part of the experience and not concern themselves with money.
“Many of us have paid for private lessons for years, have transportation costs, practice hours, and instrument upkeep. It’s not cheap to be a musician,” she said.
As to opera, the contralto King cited being in a high school musical as the inspiration to give it a shot. “Someone gave me the name of a voice teacher and told me I had to start with her,” King said. “She was a classical teacher, and I just got fascinated with what my voice could do.”
What King likes most about opera are the “challenges that come with it and the sense of accomplishment with learning new skills, learning new languages, being able to act while I’m singing, and creating characters.”
The most challenging aspect, she said, is hitting notes that are close to the high end of her range. Also, while a rare, misplayed trumpet note may be drowned out by the rest of the orchestra, opera singers performing an aria are afforded no such grace.
“Voice performing is so much different than instrumental performing because it’s literally your body making things happen,” King explained. “Choirs often will bond faster than bands because there is so much yourself that is put into a voice performance and you depend on others a lot.
But, like instrumental ensembles, the experience of working with others at something you love to create a beautiful piece is just a fascinating process. I’m hooked.”
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