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DePauw JazzFest 2023

Please join us for a premier jazz education event featuring guest trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Sean Jones. The all-star DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra, made up of seasoned education and performance professionals, will be the accompanying band and also serve as judges and clinicians throughout the day.

Ideal for precollege students and ensembles of all levels, this education-focused event, offered in a non-competitive environment, will feature just 12 high school jazz ensembles, so sign up soon! 

The final evening concert features trumpet virtuoso Sean Jones, accompanied by the DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra, an all-star band of seasoned professionals.

Featuring Sean Jones

and

The DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra

Friday, November 17, 2023

Registration

The DePauw School of Music welcomes all interested high school jazz ensembles to participate in the annual DePauw Jazz Festival. As a registered participant, each group will receive feedback for their high school ensemble and be eligible to participate in master classes with the band members of the DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra.

Registration is available on a first-come-first-served basis. We recommend registering early to ensure space for your group. Registration for this year's festival is $300 per ensemble.

Register Now!

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Participant performances and clinics
Friday, Nov. 17  •  9:20 a.m.2:40 p.m.  •  Rooms TBA

Section clinics with members of the DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra
Friday, Nov. 17  •  2:40 p.m.  •  Rooms TBA

DePauw University Jazz Ensemble clinic with Sean Jones
Friday, Nov. 17  •  3:40 p.m.  •  Moore Theatre

DePauw University Jazz Ensemble Concert
Friday, Nov. 17  •  4:20 p.m.  •  Moore Theatre

DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra featuring Sean Jones
Friday, Nov. 17  •  7:30 p.m.  •  Kresge Auditorium

Sean Jones

Music and spirituality have always been intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. A musical chameleon, Jones is comfortable in any musical setting no matter the role or genre. After a six-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis offered him a permanent position as lead trumpeter of the ensemble, a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2011, he was selected by Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter for their A Tribute to Miles tour. He also has performed with the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown symphony orchestras, as well as Soulful Symphony in Baltimore and at the Salt Bay Chamberfest.

In 2015, Jones was tapped to become a member of the SFJAZZ Collective, a one-of-a-kind ensemble composed of some of the most creative and acclaimed improvisers, composers and bandleaders in jazz. During this time and under his leadership, he formed a foundational group that produced and released eight recordings on Mack Avenue Records, including Sean Jones: Live from Jazz at the Bistro.

In addition to being prominently featured in recordings and performances with many major figures in jazz, he is an internationally recognized educator. Jones is president of the Jazz Education Network and holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore, having served previously as chair of the brass department at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also is artistic director for the NYO JAZZ program of Carnegie Hall.

DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra

This year’s festival marks the return of the DePauw Jazz Festival Orchestra. The orchestra consists of professionals and educators from across the country whose work has included performances with Count Basie, Harry Connick Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Randy Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Dick Oatts, Joey DeFranesco, and many others. In addition, members of the orchestra have taught at top-tier institutions throughout the United States and across the world.

 

Trumpets:

Trombones:

Saxophones:

Rhythm:

Roger Ingram

Joshua  Jern

Mark Buselli

Derrick Gardiner

Andy Baker

Freddie Mendoza

John Blane

Kirby Fellis

Will Campbell

Jacob Duncan

Chris McGuire

Sophie Faught

Tom Walsh

Steve Snyder, piano

Sandy Williams, guitar

Jesse Wittman, bass

Jim White, drums

 

These activities are made possible in part by Arts Illiana, and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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