The Northwest Missouri State University Jazz Ensemble will perform at the 2019 Missouri Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop and Conference in January.

Nov. 27, 2018

Jazz Ensemble invited to perform at music educators conference

The Northwest Missouri State University Jazz Ensemble has been selected through competitive application and audition processes to perform at the 2019 Missouri Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop and Conference.

The ensemble’s performance is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, at the MMEA’s 81st annual conference. The ensemble’s program theme is “Made in Kansas City,” a tribute to composers and performers from the Kansas City area.

The Northwest Jazz Ensemble is the University’s premiere, audition-based jazz ensemble. With 20 members, it performs music representing a variety of styles and regularly tours the four-state region, in addition to on-campus performances throughout the academic year. The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. William Richardson, the University’s Dennis C. Dau Professor of Instrumental Music.

“The past two years, our jazz band has really stepped it up several notches,” Richardson said. “I’m very, very proud of them. We’ve got some great soloists, and the group just plays extraordinarily well.”

The Northwest Jazz Ensemble was the only university jazz ensemble selected for the MMEA performance this year. Each was vetted by an out-of-state committee of music educators who reviewed the recordings and recommended the performing ensembles for the conference. 

The Northwest Jazz Ensemble performed at the Nebraska Music Educators Association conference in fall 2017 and last performed at the MMEA conference in 2006.

For more information about the Jazz Ensemble and other music ensembles at Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/finearts/music/.