Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage returns to Huntley church before Essentially Ellington Festival
Back by popular demand! The Youth Jazz Ensemble from DuPage returns to perform at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley on Sunday, May 4.
Sponsored by the SOTP Artist Series, the public is invited to attend this free performance at 4 p.m. at the church, 10805 Main St.
No tickets are required and freewill donations are gratefully accepted.
“We are pleased to welcome these very talented musicians back again,” said Jane McMullen of the SOTP Artist Series. “This will be a send-off concert for The Youth Jazz Ensemble from DuPage, as they are one of 30 bands selected as finalists for the Essentially Ellington 30th Anniversary Competition and Festival.”
The Jazz Ensemble from DuPage, directed by Robert Blazek, will perform at the House of Swing in New York City for the Essentially Ellington competition on May 7-11.
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 over 20 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, members have had the privilege playing for highly prestigious events and with a number of jazz greats.
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 Youth Jazz 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.
Visit the church website at www.bit.ly/SOTPARTIST for further information 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.