On Sunday afternoon, Paul Cepela will direct his first concert at Joliet Junior College. As we told you on , Cepela is the first student to direct at JJC, a journey that began at a young age and involved a variety of instruments.
At 14 years old, Cepela, of Crest Hill, picked up chords easily that his father showed him how to play. He realized he could play by ear. First, Cepela learned to play on the flute, but the guitar won.
This lead to Cepela playing acoustic guitar in his church’s youth group band. Eventually he and his brother, along with three other friends, formed Brun Hilta, a band that garnered a lot of local fans. Those fans will be happy to hear that Brun Hilta will be making a comeback. They have been on hiatus.
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Major Choice was Easy
Three years ago, when Cepela began attending classes at JJC, he decided that music would be his major.
The only problem was he hadn’t picked up his flute in about 5 years.
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It didn’t matter though. It came back naturally. Like riding a bike. He never forgot how to play. With that said, Cepela auditioned for the music program.
“You get a different kind of adrenaline rush from playing classical music on the flute and firing up a guitar,” Cepela said.“I didn’t know what to expect (in the audition) and I felt that I was behind most students. But I like music a lot and like to play in whatever capacity I can.”
In addition to his full class load, Cepela is a music tutor and works in the Fine Arts Department at the college. He fits in working for the college’s Grounds Department and even at the local Staple’s. He also arranged a piece that the band recently played and recorded.
Graduation is approaching.
Cepela will be attending Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, where he will complete his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He said he is certain that he will continue there and earn a Master’s Degree in Music Composition or Conducting.
“It’s great to have a student like Paul,” Morgan said. “He shows great talent, dedication and passion in our program at JJC.”
Morgan added that Cepela will be very successful in his music career.
“We are all very proud of him and look forward to celebrating his accomplishments with him,” Morgan said.
