Music has an unparalleled way of bringing people together from many different walks of life.

This is especially true of the WSU School of Music — just ask undergraduate Christopher Newcombe and graduate student Tom Guenther. Newcombe and Guenther will give performances Friday as part of their performance-based curricular program.

Performing Arts Facilities Coordinator Sandra Albers said from her experience with Newcombe and Guenther, the performance is far more than something that is required to graduate.

“It’s a very emotional thing for me to perform,” Newcombe said.

Newcombe said his journey to studying music has been somewhat nontraditional. He began playing the clarinet in fifth grade and continued all throughout high school. He then turned away from music to join the military, where he suffered a serious injury.

“I got pushed off a plane for identifying as gay,” Newcombe said. “I was told I might never play (clarinet) again all because of a hate crime.”

Newcombe said he was standing on a plane on the runway doing repair work when he was pushed.

However, he said the devastating news only made him want to do one thing: go back to music. After tackling entrance exams for several state schools, Newcombe decided to make the WSU School of Music his new home.

“The faculty here at WSU is different from anything I’ve experienced,” Newcombe said. “They are willing to work with me every step of the way, even through my disabilities. No one parallels the expertise that the School of Music offers.”

Newcombe is involved in numerous music groups at WSU and also runs a nonprofit organization, The Newcombe Foundation, which provides five instruments to Washington state students each year.

His performance will include a collection of classical clarinet pieces, and will be held at 3:10 p.m. Friday in Bryan Hall Theatre.

Graduate student Tom Guenther came from a slightly more traditional background in music, having picked up the saxophone in sixth grade and never putting it down. After earning his undergraduate degree from WSU, he made the decision to return and is now in his second year as a graduate student.

“The music program here is stellar, particularly in the jazz area. I figured the more time I could spend here the better,” Guenther said. “In my undergrad I had to focus a lot more on classical music, so I saw it as an opportunity to study more jazz.”

Guenther, who is currently in his third week as the band director at Pullman High School, said working with a group of students is a completely new experience having only student-taught for one semester at a high school in Kent.

“They have one jazz band and one concert band, and I run both of those,” Guenther said. “The kids are great. It’s been a pretty easy transition.”

Guenther will perform as a part of a quartet he put together for the performance, including high school junior David Ward on drums, the son of WSU professor of jazz piano, Brian Ward. The performance focuses on the classic sound of jazz including well-known standards, but also brings fresh new tunes into the genre, Guenther said.

“More than half of the tunes were written by myself. This is my first sort of dive into composing,” Guenther said. “With jazz, there are jam sessions. People just get together and go. That’s almost what this was like.”

Guenther’s performance will be held at 4:10 p.m. Friday in Kimbrough 115. Both Guenther’s and Newcombe’s concerts are free and open to the public.