Adam Young ’24 knew he would perform in recorded performances when he enrolled in Lebanon Valley College’s Music Department. Coordinating 20 talented musicians with two of his favorite professors for a major album recording? That wasn’t on his bingo card.

Yet Young proved to be the key cog as the recording engineer for Valley Jazz Orchestra’s Vicious Fishes album, released in September. The recording is the jazz band’s first since the 1970s when the group was student-run by LVC’s music fraternity, Sinfonia. Vicious Fishes features compositions by Dr. Justin Morell, Professor of Music.

“We wanted to give the students this opportunity to be a part of a professional recording experience and to document this particular group of students, which we feel had achieved a high level of performance,” said Dr. Jeff Lovell, Associate Professor of Music, who teaches Valley Jazz Orchestra along with Morell.

Young planned and scheduled recording times, reserved equipment, and learned advanced techniques with the Dante Audio Interface.

“This project added to my experience at LVC in many ways, especially showcasing the close connection between all aspects of the Music Department,” said Young. “Having that close and immediate connection to colleagues next door in a different program is paramount to any project’s success and the creation of new media.

“This project has made me a stronger and more confident engineer and has allowed me to push beyond what I knew was possible when I first started at LVC,” added Young, an Audio Music Production graduate now pursuing a master’s in Audio Technology at American University.

Aaron Rudderow ’25, who plans to pursue a performance and recording career, felt excitement when the professors approached the group about the idea and understood the potential career impact.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of several different recording projects, but none of them on a scale quite like this,” said Rudderow. “I learned how to run a recording session for a big band, which is extremely beneficial to me as I continue to compose big band works of my own.”

Computer and Data Science major Brian Myers ’26 enjoyed the studios, recording process, and community with the other musicians, but highlighted the independent nature of the project.

“One of the reasons I love Jazz Band the most is because we are all on our own parts, which forces us to play with the utmost confidence, skill, and precision,” said Myers, who is minoring in Music. “Throughout last year I have continued to grow in my ability to play the trombone, culminating in the recording project. I now will have my name associated with this production, and I wish to continue jazz after college, so I hope it will help boost my portfolio and experiences.”

John Mattiko ’27, a double major in Music Education and Music Performance, never expected his first year of college to include a major recording session. He gained a valuable perspective from the studio side in addition to his live performance background.

“This project gave me a unique experience that I can carry into my future as an educator as well, which I know I’ll be very grateful for in the years down the road,” said Mattiko. “For a college the size of LVC, it never fails to amaze me how incredible the Music Department is here. We have incredible faculty like Dr. Morell and Dr. Lovell and having access to such a diverse education in music really is an incredible privilege.”

Vicious Fishes is available for streaming through the band’s Bandcamp site and all major streaming services. It will also be available on a limited-edition vinyl LP in late October. The band will celebrate the release of the album by playing selections from the recording in concert on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. as part of the LVC Homecoming weekend festivities. Vinyl will also be available for sale at the annual Fall VJO concert on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Leedy Theater.