Jazz music brings people together to hear wonderful, historic and unique melodies by talented performers. On Saturday, March 7, the second annual ETSU Jazz Festival will be taking place at the Martin Center for the Arts from 8 a.m. until the last performance at 5:30 p.m.
Dr. Brian Rodesch, saxophonist and faculty member, expressed his excitement for the event.
“It gives the students an opportunity to just kind of create a sense of community, which is…especially with jazz, one of the great things about it,” he said.
The festival is education-oriented and will allow the participating ensembles and performers to receive feedback from music education professionals. This year, the festival is honored to feature Justin Stanton and Joseph Bullock from the Grammy-Award-winning jazz group Snarky Puppy.
The multi-instrumentalists, composers and producers Stanton and Bullock represent artists who originated from the Appalachian region. Stanton specifically stands as an inspiration to ETSU musicians as an ETSU alum.
Throughout the day, several bands and student performers will showcase their talents. Student performers will be able to participate in clinics as well as workshops with the special guests to get expert insights.
The special guest musicians will feature in a final culminating jazz ensemble performance with the ETSU Jazz Combos and ETSU Jazz Band at 5:30 p.m. to end the festival with a bang.
Community and ETSU-based small and big bands were able to register online to participate in the educational festival.
The event is open to the public and will be a treat for music enthusiasts in the region.
