By Mark Meredith/TVCC Public Information
Trinity Valley Community College professor of piano and choral accompanist Kirk Overmoe has been selected for induction into the Mayville State University Performing Arts Hall of Fame. Overmoe is a 1978 graduate of the university, where he was a member of a jazz band that brought the national spotlight to Mayville. The group won “Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band – College Division” by the prestigious journal of jazz, DownBeat, in 1978, winning the Shure Gold Microphone Award.
After graduating from MSU, he received his master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Northern Colorado, and in 2003, a second master’s in educational administration and supervision from the University of Texas at Tyler. His professional career has included music instruction in the Devils Lake, ND public schools, the University of North Dakota, summer instruction at the International Music Camp, held in the International Peace Camp on the US/Canada border and at Athens ISD before joining TVCC in 2012. He has served as pianist at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, ND, the Presbyterian Church of Devils Lake, ND, and since 1997, at First Baptist Church of Athens.
While at UNC, Kirk performed on a Grammy-nominated recording, and he continues to perform with the jazz quintet Jazz on Tap + 2, which will be performing a free concert at the Athens Arboretum on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
Overmoe will be in attendance when Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held during MSU homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-18, 2015 in Mayville, ND.