Students of the Thompson Jazz Studies Program will perform as part of the Mile High Jazz Festival on Feb. 15-17.
It鈥檚 been a Colorado tradition for more than 50 years and this year, it鈥檚 coming to Macky Auditorium.
Building on the excitement of the U.S. Air Force Band鈥檚 collaboration with the CU bands department and the third CU International Guitar Festival鈥攂oth happening in early February鈥攖he Thompson Jazz Studies Program is getting ready for its closeup at the 53rd Mile High Jazz Festival on Feb. 15-17.
Sponsored by , the festival hosts more than 50 middle school and high school jazz groups for three days of performances, clinics and competitions. It鈥檚 been held in different high schools along the Front Range, but this year Thompson Jazz Studies Director John Gunther says the College of Music wanted to get involved.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the longest running high school jazz festival in the state,鈥� Gunther says. 鈥淭hese students and directors are getting to hear other groups for the first time and we鈥檙e excited to be a part of that.鈥�
Jazz at CU will play a central role in the festivities, with planned with the Concert Jazz Ensemble and Associate Professor of Jazz Paul McKee featured on trombone. Then on Thursday, Feb. 16, the rest of the Thompson Jazz faculty takes the stage with Jazz Ensemble II for an in Macky Auditorium.
Gunther hopes students will be energized both by the performances of professional musicians and by the chance to play on the Macky stage themselves.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited they get to perform at Macky. You can鈥檛 beat that feeling when you鈥檙e up on a stage like that for the first time and you look out and see the audience and think, 鈥榃ow, this is great.鈥欌��
Participants, who will be coming from all over the state, will get clinic time with some longtime Colorado music educators, including Denver bassist Ron Bland and trumpeter of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts. The public is invited to sit in on the all-day clinics and competitions throughout the festival.
Gunther, who grew up in Colorado and has taught at CU since 2005, participated in the program as a young musician himself. He says the Thompson Jazz Studies Program has an important role to play as jazz grows in popularity in the region.
鈥淭his festival is a real piece of the legacy of jazz in Colorado music education, so it鈥檚 neat for us to be able to support it and make sure it continues.鈥�
The festival serves as a warmup act for the Thompson Jazz Studies Program: Coming up in March, the Concert Jazz Ensemble will spend a week in Costa Rica for a mix of unique performances, clinics and master classes around San Jose.
Gunther says the festival will return to Macky in 2018, with plans to host a very special guest artist.
For information on the Mile High Jazz Festival, visit the Events page.
