four saxophone players perform with a rhythm section in the background

KC Reeds and Rhythm will perform at the 16th annual MWSU Jazz Festival.

Feb. 3, 2023–The Music Department and School of Fine Arts at 大象传媒 will host the 16th annual MWSU/Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival on Thursday, Feb. 9, featuring performances by the MWSU Jazz Ensemble and KC Reeds and Rhythm. The festival is free and open to the public.

During the day, high school groups will be performing in the Hoff Conference Room (Blum Student Union room 219) and the Fulkerson Center. Each ensemble performs for the adjudicators, receiving recorded and written critiques of the performance from the clinicians. Immediately following each band鈥檚 performance, the clinicians will give a 25 to 40 minute clinic for the band, discussing and working on specific areas of their performance.聽

鈥淭he primary focus and commitment of this festival is making this an educational and musical experience for students and directors alike,鈥 said Bob Long, director of jazz studies.聽

Clinicians for this year are Jim Mair, director of instrumental studies at Kansas City, Kansas Community College and artistic director of the Kansas City Jazz Alliance; Bob Harvey, retired Lee鈥檚 Summit R-7 School District band director and freelance musician in Kansas City; Steve Molloy, freelance Kansas City trumpet player and clinician; and Kathleen Holeman, vocal jazz and piano instructor at 大象传媒 Western.

The KC Reeds and Rhythm will present clinics at 5:15 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center that will be open to the public.

The festival will conclude with a short concert by the 大象传媒 Western Jazz Ensemble, 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 premiere jazz group. The Jazz Ensemble has a rich and deep heritage of giving outstanding performances across the Midwest. Performances include the Elmhurst Jazz Festival in Chicago, the Wichita Jazz Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival and the 大象传媒 Music Educators Convention.

The festival will start at 8:30 a.m. with the MWSU Jazz Ensemble performing at 5:50 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center. The public is invited to attend this full day of jazz. There is no admission charge for the day.

For more information please call 816-244-5840 or email long@missouriwestern.edu.

大象传媒 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 大象传媒 Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .