NMU Jazz Festival

Featuring Matt Wilson!

Thurs. & Fri., March 20-21

See Festival details below!

Jazz Festival Schedule (PDF)

Thurs., March 20

8:00am-12noon - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
12:00noon - LUNCH BREAK
1:00pm - GUEST ARTIST CLINIC (Matt Wilson - drum set)
2:00-5:00pm - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
5:30-7:00pm - Jam Session (upstairs in Hedgcock Atrium)
7:30pm - EVENING CONCERT

Friday, March 21

10:00am-12noon - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
12:00noon - LUNCH BREAK
1:00pm - GUEST ARTIST CLINIC (Matt Wilson - drum set)
2:00-5:00pm - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
5:30-7:00pm - Jam Session (upstairs in Hedgcock Atrium)
7:30pm - EVENING CONCERT

High School and Middle School Performances and Clinics

Registered high school and middle school ensembles will perform in scheduled time slots on Thursday & Friday (March 20 & 21), and then get feedback and work with festival clinicians. Performances and clinics will all take place in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Faculty Combo Performances/Clinics

Guest Artist Matt Wilson (drum set) will be presenting educational clinics at 1:00pm on both Thursday and Friday in Reynolds Recital Hall. These presentations are free and open to the public.

Jam Session!

The popular jam sessions for festival participants will be held from 5:30-7:00pm on both Thursday and Friday in the Hedgcock Atrium. Traditionally, jam sessions were the place where emerging jazz artists congregated to try out new ideas and work at perfecting the craft of improvisation. This session will be offered in that spirit, and will provide students an opportunity to practice improvisation and listen to others.

Thursday, March 20 @ 7:30 p.m.
Reynolds Recital Hall
Featuring Matt Wilson with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo
Tickets available at the door and in advance through the NMU Ticket Office (tickets.nmu.edu, 906-227-1037)

Friday, March 21 @ 7:30 p.m.
Reynolds Recital Hall
Featuring Matt Wilson with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo
Tickets available at the door and in advance through the NMU Ticket Office (tickets.nmu.edu, 906-227-1037)

The NMU Jazz Festival is an annual educational event that brings talented high school and middle school students to NMU from throughout the region to celebrate an original American art form - JAZZ!

NMU has presented numerous jazz clinics and concerts over the last fifty years, but the current NMU Jazz Festival began in 1998 when NMU Friends of Jazz (an NMU student organization) invited the legendary trumpeter Clark Terry to perform a concert with the NMU Jazz Band. Several local high school bands were invited to participate in clinics in conjunction with this event, and the positive responses from participants and audience members suggested that an annual jazz festival would be well-received.

Since then, NMU Friends of Jazz has continued to work with the NMU Music Department and the NMU College of Arts and Sciences to bring outstanding jazz artists to NMU on a yearly basis, and the high school and middle school participation in these events has grown steadily - in an average year, more than 25 ensembles (300-400 students) participate in performances and clinics.

The festival is a highlight of the year for jazz fans in the Marquette community.

NMU Friends of Jazz are shown with guest performing artist Regina Carter at the 2015 Jazz Festival. Students not only have a chance to learn from and perform with giants of jazz, they also get to know them personally.

Here are the magnificent musicians we have had the pleasure of hosting over the years:

1998 - Clark Terry
1999 - Jeff Halsey
2000 - John Fedchock
2001 - Jim McNeely
2002 - Jon Faddis
2003 - Peter Erskine
2004 - Mike Stern
2005 - Steve Turre
2006 - Bob Mintzer, Kirsten Gustafson, Kelly Rossum, Dave Ziegner
2007 - Dean Sorenson & Randy Sabien
2008 - Bobby Shew
2009 - Fred Sturm & Bill Carrothers
2010 - Kevin Mahogany
2011 - Michael Philip Mossman
2012 - Ingrid Jensen
2013 - Jim Snidero & Kathy Kosins
2014 - Stefon Harris
2015 - Regina Carter
2016 - Michael Davis
2017 - Chase Sanborn
2018 - Aimee Nolte
2019 - Allen Vizzutti
2020 - Cancelled (due to COVID-19)
2021 - Online Event (due to COVID-19)
2022 - Mike Tomaro
2023 - Dean Sorenson
2024 - Ellen Rowe
2025 - Matt Wilson

If you have any questions regarding the annual NMU Jazz Festival, please contact Mark Flaherty at 906-227-1037.

If you would like to bring your group to the festival and it is past the deadline, please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Flaherty. Occasionally we have extra slots available after the deadline.

Also let him know if you would like to be on the email list for future Jazz Festivals.