Jan. 17, 2012

Trumpet virtuosos to perform during the Morningside College Jazz Festival

Wayne Bergeron

Acclaimed trumpet players Wayne Bergeron, who has performed on movie soundtracks and with artists such as Michael Bolton and Celine Dion, and Ryan Kisor, a Sioux City native who is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, will perform during the Morningside College Jazz Festival on Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Ave.

Bergeron will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday with the Morningside College Jazz Ensemble. Kisor will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with the Judges’ All-Star Combo. General admission to each concert is $10. Tickets will be available from the Morningside College Music Department, Ray’s Midbell Music or at the door.

Bergeron has worked on more than 300 TV and motion picture soundtracks. His trumpet solos can be heard in movies like “The Green Hornet,” “Rocky Balboa” and “The Incredibles.” He has performed on CD with a range of artists, including Ray Charles, Green Day, Michael Buble and Beyoncé, to name a few.

Kisor has been playing trumpet since the age of four. He has won numerous awards and competitions for his trumpet playing. He has made numerous recordings, and has been with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra since 1994.

During the day on Friday and Saturday, high school jazz bands from more than a dozen schools in Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska will each perform a 20-minute set. They will be competing for trophies according to their school size, and they also will get feedback during a 20-minute educational clinic.

Judges for the jazz festival will be Craig Crilly, director of bands at Harlan Community High School in Harlan, Iowa; Bob Washut, professor of jazz studies at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls; and C.J. Kocher, associate professor of saxophone and jazz studies at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Clinicians will be Bergeron and Jim Widner, teaching professor and director of jazz studies at the University of St. Louis-Missouri.

In addition to Kisor, the Judges’ All-Star Combo will feature Kocher and Crilly on saxophone, Dave Lambert on trombone, Washut on piano, Widner on bass and Greg Forney on drums.

The Morningside College Jazz Ensemble performs a variety of jazz music through the use of big band and combos. It is open to any students who wish to play jazz and improve their improvisation skills. Membership is through audition and/or recommendation.