Community, Live Music, Local, Schools

Top Jazz Artists Coming to PSC Stage Feb. 15


jazz fest, Prairie State College, jazz artists
Prairie State College invites you to Jazz Fest 2019. (PHOTO SUPPLIED)

Chicago Heights, IL-(ENEWSPF)- “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.” Thus spake Plato, and jazz artists explore the patterns in music live, with depth and precision.

Prairie State College is putting the immortal words of Plato into practice as it celebrates the 31st Annual Jazz Fest Feb. 14-16, 2019. The three-day annual festival begins with instrumental clinics for local junior high and high school jazz musicians, led by world-renowned jazz artists, and culminates in a concert event featuring the jazz masters at 7:30 p.m., Friday Feb. 15, in the Barnes & Noble College Auditorium on the PSC main campus.

Featured concert performers include Chicago trumpeter Orbert Davis, drummer Ernie Adams, percussionist Rubén P. Alvarez, bassist Larry Gray and saxophonist Ed Petersen, as well PSC’s Professor of Music Valerie Nicholson on piano. Select students from the instrumental clinics also are invited to perform with the guest artists during the evening concert.

“The jazz fest masters are not only some of the best musicians I’ve performed with, they also are fantastic instructors and mentors for the students,” said Nicholson, who is the founder and coordinator of the annual festival. “The students who have had the opportunity to work with them throughout the years rave about their experience.”

To learn more about the jazz fest masters, visit prairiestate.edu/jazzfest.

“We are fortunate to have these world-class musicians perform on our stage each and every year,” said PSC President Dr. Terri L. Winfree. “This is such a fantastic opportunity for residents of Chicagoland to experience the talents of these excellent performers in our auditorium’s comfortable atmosphere.”

As part of the Friday evening festivities, the college also will present the Howard Luckey Excellence in Jazz Leadership Award. The award goes to a community member who has provided extensive and consistent support of jazz through teaching, performing, or organizing in a spirit of humility and community. The award was established in memory of Howard Luckey, a PSC social science faculty member who volunteered to assist with the festival for years until he passed away in 2010.

The 2019 recipient of the Luckey award is Willis Buckholz, a retired social science teacher from Momence High School.

Ticket prices for the concert are $15 for general admission. Student and senior citizen tickets are $10 each. Tickets are available in advance online at https://give.classy.org/ pscjazz19, or by visiting the PSC Foundation Office in room 2266 of the main campus. Tickets also can be purchased at the door on the evening of the concert. A $30 VIP and Concert Package ticket also can be purchased in advance or on the night of the event. VIP guests will enjoy heavy hors d’ oeuvres, refreshments and entertainment, as well as the opportunity to meet the jazz fest masters. The reception is sponsored by the PSC Foundation. For more information, email [email protected].

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for this year’s concert event. For more information or to purchase tickets or a sponsorship package, visit  https://give.classy.org/ pscjazz19, or contact the PSC Foundation Office at (708) 709-3631 or [email protected].

This is a release from Prairie State College.


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