Calling all music lovers, Brandon University Jazz Festival is around the corner! From March 14th to 16th, the School of Music will be hosting guest artists, adjudicators, and school ensembles for performances, clinics, and masterclasses. Over the three days, performances will be held in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall and the Kinsmen Rehearsal Hall in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building, the Evans Theatre in the George T. Richardson Centre, and at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium. Continuing the tradition set by the Brandon Jazz Festival after its several-year hiatus, the School of Music faculty are proud to be bringing an exceptional and diverse range of performers to our campus. The first Brandon Jazz Festival was held in 1982, and in 1983 it chose the BU campus as its home with the support of the School of Music and the Brandon School Division No. 40. Since its inception, the BU Jazz Festival has grown significantly both in the volume of its participants and in its prestige within the North American jazz world, hosting incredible performers such as vocalist Don Shelton, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, and the John McNiel Quartet. The final Brandon Jazz festival in its previous form was held in 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19, but has returned for its 40th anniversary for your listening pleasure!
Faculty members presenting the BU Jazz Festival include professors of jazz and contemporary music Luis Deniz, Marika Gelea, and Eric Platz, trumpet professor Edward Bach, jazz piano professor Carter Graham, soprano voice professor Sarah Hall, Low Brass professor Nora Wilson, jazz guitar instructor Brian Zimmerman, and music education professor Wendy Zander. At the helm of the Brandon University School of Music is Dean of Music and saxophone professor Greg Gatien, whose passion for music education and performance is echoed in BU Jazz Festival’s values. The event has also drawn a number of exciting guest adjudicators from around the United States and Canada who will provide valuable insight and advice to the many middle and high school ensembles who are set to perform. Young vocalists will receive feedback from triple Grammy nominee Sara Gazarek, ByBlacks’ Jazz Artist of the Year 2019 Joanna Majoko, artistic director of Rainbow Harmony Brittany Mielnichuk, and director of several award-winning choirs Cynthia Peyson Wahl. Woodwind and brass players can look forward to connecting with prolific performers such as saxophonist Claire Devlin, trombonist Kelsley Grant, trumpeter Jason Palmer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Samuel Torjman Thomas, and trumpeter Rachel Therrien. All ensembles can benefit from the direction of conductors Kathie Van Lare and Rob Monson, as well as Brandon university alum Ana Peno, who is a music educator at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School.
The BU Jazz Festival prides itself on creating an environment that is more focused on education and interpersonal connection than competition. The festival features not only performances, but clinics and masterclasses hosted by faculty and guests which focus on building cohesion as an ensemble, enhancing listening and interpretive skills, and emphasize the importance of a personal connection to music, all within an hour of guided practice. The BU Jazz Festival is not only an opportunity for young music students of all abilities to show off their hard-earned musical skills and learn from experienced and talented musicians, but for the Brandon-area community to connect and be uplifted by the magic of live music.
Visit bujazzfest.ca to view daily performance schedules and purchase tickets. Performances by the Brandon University Big Band featuring several special guests will be held in the Westman Centennial Auditorium on the 14th and 15th, and tickets are $30. For those of us on a student’s budget, several free concerts by BU small ensembles will be hosted in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building, so be sure to support the BU community and enjoy the good vibes!
Free Concerts
Thursday, March 14
2:00 PM R.D. Bell Hall – Church & Geese
Friday, March 15
10:00 AM R.D. Bell Hall – CRock
12:00 PM Lorne Watson Recital Hall – The Otters
2:00 PM R.D. Bell Hall – Jeremy & the 4 Non Blondes
Saturday, March 18
12:00 PM Lorne Watson Recital Hall – Marika Galea Small Group