School of Music to Host Annual Jazz Festival

Jan. 26, 2018

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Illinois Wesleyan University’s School of Music will host its 43rd annual Jazz Festival from Friday, Feb. 2 to Saturday, Feb. 3. All festival events are free and open to the public.

The festival will begin with two concerts on Friday at the Bloom Community School (1100 N. Beech St., Normal) at 1:30 p.m. and the Western Avenue Community Center (600 N. Western Ave., Bloomington) at 4 p.m. The concerts will feature IWU Jazz Festival All-Stars: trumpeter Todd Kelly from Bradley University, drummer Tom Marko from Illinois State University, saxophonist Chip McNeill and trombonist Jim Pugh from the University of Illinois, pianist Michael Stryker from Western Illinois University, and Chicago-based jazz vocalist Alyssa Allgood. Professor Glenn Wilson, director of Illinois Wesleyan’s Jazz Program, will be performing in various sections.

On Saturday, the festival will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Presser Hall, featuring 19 high school and junior high jazz and vocal jazz ensembles. At 1 p.m., IWU's Jazz Ensemble and vocal jazz ensemble Unlicensed Syncopation , along with all other adjudicators for the festival, will present a concert. From 2:15-3 p.m., the judges will offer individual masterclasses, also free and open to the public, to showcase various jazz instruments.

Contributions from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity and The Music Shoppe helped make this festival possible. The Music Shoppe, the Jazz Fest’s corporate sponsor, has donated music equipment for all performers as well as prizes for some of the top ensembles.

For more information, please contact the School of Music at (309) 556-3061.

By Rachel McCarthy '21