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JAZZ ROOM SERIES PRESENTS A HOLIDAY CONCERT
—Seasonal music for jazz lovers of all ages including the Duke
Ellington/Billy Strayhorn "Nutcracker Suite."
A concert of jazz holiday melodies will be performed at William Paterson
University on Saturday, December 13 as part of the 2003 Jazz Room
Series.
The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing
Arts on the campus in Wayne. Tickets are available in advance or on
the day of the performance at $12 standard and $9 for senior citizens,
non-William Paterson students (limit two per ID) and the William Paterson
community. Admission is free for William Paterson students on the
day of the performance only (limit one per ID). Proceeds from this
benefit concert will go towards the University’s jazz program
and the music department’s Thad Jones Scholarship Fund.
Performances will feature pianist James Williams, director of jazz
studies and performance, appearing with special guest vocalist Keith
Outlaw, who sings classical and gospel music in church choirs and
has been a featured soloist in churches across the country. The duo
will perform Christmas carols and selected holiday music.
The William Paterson University Jazz Ensemble will perform the Duke
Ellington/Billy Strayhorn "Nutcracker Suite," under the
direction of David Demsey, professor of music and coordinator of jazz
studies. The William Paterson University Choir, led by Stephen Bryant,
director of choral activities and opera workshop, will also perform
several selections. The choir and jazz ensemble will conclude the
concert with a special version of "Silent Night" arranged
by pianist and composer Donald Brown. The piece, originally created
for the Harlem Boys Choir, has been orchestrated for large jazz ensemble
by Allen Farnham, a William Paterson graduate student in the jazz
studies arranging program.
The William Paterson University Jazz Ensemble is one of 25 ensembles,
most varying in size from trios to sextets, which form the core of
the Jazz Studies Program. The musical foundations of the Ensemble
match those of the Jazz Studies Program, providing a true jazz environment
in which students learn firsthand about the jazz world and the requirements
for becoming a successful professional musician. Jazz Ensemble members
come to William Paterson from all parts of the United States and all
corners of the world; current program enrollment includes students
from 27 states and seven foreign countries.
Now in its 26th year of exciting performances, The Jazz Room is one
of the largest and most prestigious college-sponsored jazz events
in the country. Performers include renowned professionals who encompass
the complete spectrum of jazz, from practitioners of traditional jazz
to avant-garde to bebop to swing to Afro-Latin jazz as well as William
Paterson’s own talented student ensembles. The series has won
numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming.
For more information, call the Shea Center for Performing Arts Box
Office at 973.720.2371.
# # #
- For
Further Information, contact:
- Mary
Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966
12/3/03
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