Pete Ellman Big Band brings jazz and holiday tunes to St. Charles Dec. 16

The Pete Ellman Big Band will perform a concert of big band, jazz and holiday tunes on Saturday, Dec. 16. The performance will conclude the fall season of the "Saturday Night Lights" concert series produced by the Norris Cultural Arts Center.

The band features 18 of the Chicago area's finest jazz musicians. Since Pete Ellman founded the band in 2009, it has played regularly throughout the Chicago area at locations such as Mullen's in Lisle, Fitzgerald's in Oak Park, and The Venue in Aurora.

The band frequently invites student jazz ensembles to join them, and provides guest clinicians to work with school jazz bands, giving young musicians a taste of the real world environment playing for appreciative audiences.

Additionally, the Pete Ellman Big Band has hosted numerous fundraisers at their events to help raise money, as well as food and toys, for local nonprofits such as Loaves & Fishes, Toys For Tots, Kids Matter, Kidz Cabaret, Youth Symphony of DuPage, Naperville Educational Foundation, Gil Ellman Memorial Fund, and more.

The Pete Ellman Big Band enjoys giving back to the community to help kids, in general, and also to give kids an opportunity to participate in the arts.

The concet will be at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the historic Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St. in downtown St. Charles.

Tickets are $30 and include complimentary beverages (wine, beer, soft drinks) and light snacks.

For more information and a link to online ticketing, visit www.NorrisCulturalArts.com.

For more information on the Pete Ellman Big Band, visit pebb.net.