Huntley church to host concert with youth jazz ensemble and guest trumpeter

Jazz up the new year with a special free winter concert featuring the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage with guest artist Pharez Whitted, an acclaimed trumpeter, performer, clinician and educator.

The concert will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, 10805 Main St. in Huntley.

Sponsored by the SOTP Artist Series, the public is invited to attend this free performance. No tickets are required and freewill donations are gratefully accepted.

The Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage was founded by current director Robert Blazek in 1998 to provide the opportunity for the top high school jazz musicians in the 20-plus high schools in DuPage County and surrounding areas to perform high-level jazz music literature in concert and in an annual studio recording.

Since its founding, ensemble members have had the privilege playing for highly prestigious events and with a number of jazz greats. They have been finalists in the Essentially Ellington Festival in New York City.

The Illinois Music Educators Association auditions and selects a limited number of the top high school musicians to perform in its district festival called ILMEA.

This year, 23 ensemble members were chosen to be part of this select group. And eight of those were picked to be in the jazz combo, which is the most elite group of district high school jazz musicians.

Guest artist Whitted has performed throughout the United States and overseas, including performances at presidential inaugurations, “The Arsenio Hall Show,” “The Billboard Music Awards,” Carnegie Hall and major jazz festivals throughout the country. He has two CDs released on the MoTown Jazz Label (MoJazz) and three other recently released CDs on various labels.

He studied music at DePauw University and went on to earn a master’s degree from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is professor of Jazz Trumpet at Northern Illinois University and previously taught at prestigious colleges and universities such as Wabash College, The Ohio State University, and Chicago State University. He is also the Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Jazz Orchestra.

For information, visit the church website at www.bit.ly/SOTPARTIST or email at artistseries@sotpmail.com.

Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Mark Boster and Pastor Ryan Mackey, has served the Huntley community for over 20 years. Visit www.sotp.org and follow at www.facebook.com/ShepherdofthePrairie.