The event is free and open to the public. We can look forward to a concert that is full of energy and enthusiasm. All interested students are encouraged to audition for this standard format big band, which explores a wide variety of jazz styles with a strong emphasis on the development of individual improvisational skills.
Performances occur year-round both on and off campus.
In the spring, well-known professional soloists join the ensemble for a special concert. Recent guest artists have included Lew Soloff, Robert Rouch, Nelson Hill, Janet Lawson, Butch Lacy, and Urbie Green. Brader is a noted trumpet player and conductor who has been featured as lead trumpet player with Chuck Mangione, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and many of the world s leading jazz performers. The ensemble is closing with Samba For a Rainy Day, which was composed and arranged by Jake Lentz, Brader says. I came upon that as I was playing a gig in the Poconos and Jake was the piano player.