Oakton hosts 2018 Skyway Jazz Festival Oct. 27

Oakton Community College will host the 2018 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Jazz Festival from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the college's Performing Arts Center, 1600 E. Golf Road. The festival is free and open to the public.

The event is an annual celebration of jazz bands and combos from schools in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference who will perform and be rated by a panel of Chicago jazz musicians. In addition to Oakton, College of Lake County, Elgin Community College, McHenry County College, Moraine Valley Community College, Morton College, Prairie State College and Waubonsee Community College will be represented.

"This festival will showcase the amazing jazz talent of community college students," says Oakton Jazz Band Director Robert Evans. "The public is warmly invited to come out and enjoy a great day of jazz."

Evans is an accomplished performer, clinician and conductor throughout Illinois. Previously, he has served as director of bands at LaSalle-Peru High School and Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

Last year at Elgin, three Oakton students received recognition as outstanding soloists: Preetham Marati of Skokie on alto saxophone, Mark Ketelsen of Lincolnshire on trumpet and Thomas Bartlett of Waukegan on trombone. Honorable Mention performances were also turned in by Marathi on alto saxophone and Sergey Cherepanov of Northbrook on tenor saxophone.

The morning opens with college performances and jazz workshops. The afternoon concludes with a judges' performance and awards ceremony.

Mark Olen, a trumpet instructor at Oakton since 1994 and a celebrated recording artist with more than two decades of musical experience will serve as one of the panelists. Other judges include tenor saxophonist Jim Gailloreto, bassist Stewart Miller, drummer Jeff Stitely and pianist Jim Trompeter.

For more information, contact Evans at revans@oakton.edu.