SLIPPERY ROCK — Crashing symbols, blaring horns and touches of other instruments pulsated from a packed auditorium Thursday night at Swope Music Hall.

About 150 people — a mixture of students, parents and community members — gave the Slippery Rock University Jazz Ensemble a standing ovation during its first concert of the year.

“The energy they had tonight and the performance just reminds me of why I loved being in that ensemble so much,” said Ashley Hawk, audience member.

Hawk, a 2019 SRU graduate and a former ensemble member, said she was impressed by Thursday's performance. She said the band's energy was infectious.

“They all connect with each other really well, and that's what the whole jazz band is about — feeding off of that energy from one another,” she said. “I definitely think it (was) reflected in our audience tonight.”

Audience member Arlene Colecchi of Vandergrift is the great-aunt of SRU saxophonist Joey Caporali, who played as part of the group and as a soloist Thursday.

Colecchi said she was impressed by the way the ensemble meshed with the guest artists. She said it shows how much the students have grown.

“The band just sounds awesome,” she said. “They're very professional.”

The band was accompanied by two guest artists, including Michael Boscarino, a Seneca Valley High School graduate who played the trombone so intensely that his instrument often appeared to eat the microphone.

Boscarino, a New York City resident, said he was excited to play Thursday because the bands in which he plays do not often perform near Pittsburgh.

“It's like coming full circle to where you started,” Boscarino said. “You never lose sight of the roots of where you came from.”

He said he was blessed to be raised in Butler County, which embraces jazz music, unlike other areas where school programs are disappearing.

“It was a great learning environment at Seneca Valley. This whole community is just thriving with great players,” Boscarino said. “The jazz community is strong, as you can see from schools like Slippery Rock here.”

The other guest artist, Pat Kennedy, an alum of both Butler High School and SRU, pounded into a drum set with frantic limbs and precise intent behind every strike.

“It's such an amazing feeling. Just walking in the building, the immediate nostalgia vibes hit, and I felt like I was back in 2000 when I started here as a freshman,” he said.

Kennedy said Jason Kush, SRU professor and the ensemble's conductor, was his best friend in college and complimented his longtime friend for continuing to build up the program.

“I'd love to see the program grow and develop,” he said.

Kennedy got to talk with one of his mentors before the concert. Jeannette Schmidt taught junior high band for Butler.

Schmidt said of Kennedy, “He was one of the best percussion players I ever taught. He was Johnny-on-the-spot all the time.”

She was glad to hear him play live again.

“Out of this world. I just knew he was going to continue and be one of the greatest,” she said. “We're very proud of him.”

Between the two entrances to the auditorium, the ensemble had items for sale and donations were accepted to help fund the ensemble's trip overseas to Europe this summer.

Band member Elizabeth Linton, who plays alto saxophone, said the performance showed they will be ready for Europe.

She said the group played as a unit, covering for one another and allowing themselves and their guests to shine.

“It's a solid group of musicians. We all work hard every day. It will be fun,” she said.

She said traveling to another country and seeing the world is a dream for most musicians.

“I'm really honored that I get to do that,” Linton said. “I've grown up seeing bands like this going overseas. Getting to be a part of this will be a memory I'll have forever.”