The Bradley University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band, under the direction of Dr. Todd Kelly, will present a spring concert on Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Michel Student Center ballroom. Admission is $5 and free for students.
The 18-member Jazz Ensemble will perform a variety of music for big band, and will feature vocalist Maggie Sloter. The Ensemble is the flagship group of Bradley’s jazz program. They have brought many world renowned jazz clinicians and soloists to the Bradley campus. Each spring, the Bradley Jazz Festival is held on campus with a guest artist and 14 high school jazz bands. They perform a yearly tribute to a jazz master. They toured Italy in the summer of 2012, performing in Rome, Perugia, Siena, Cinque Terre, and Vertibo.
The Jazz Lab Band, also under the direction of Todd Kelly, will perform Song for My Father, Do Whatcha Wanna, Woodchopper’s Ball, and I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn’t Love to Howl. They have distinguished themselves as one of the few college big bands in the country to rehearse and perform completely by ear.
Dr. Todd Kelly, Professor of Music, directs the Bradley Jazz Bands and Jazz Combo, teaches studio trumpet, and serves as the advisor for the music business program. He is an artist/clinician for the Conn/Selmer Corporation. He is in demand throughout the Midwest as a soloist and clinician. He recently performed with the National Tours of Wicked, Mary Poppins, Billy Elliot, The Rat Pack is Back, Chicago, and White Christmas.
