KENOSHA, Wis. (Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023) – The Kenosha Unified School District, in collaboration with Dave Sturino of Hansen’s Pool and Spa, will present the Annual Jazz Festival on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Indian Trail High School and Academy, 6800 60th St. The public is welcome to attend all activities leading up to the evening performance.
Students will be involved in performance sessions with guest artists and clinicians Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Festival activities will conclude with a public performance at 6:30 p.m. featuring all KUSD jazz ensembles and the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra. Tickets for the evening performance are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and staff, and $5 for students. The concert also will be streamed on the KUSD YouTube channel and may be viewed free of charge at youtube.com/kenoshaschools. Auditorium seats are reserved and tickets can be purchased at kusd.edu/finearts.
This year’s Jazz Festival will feature the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra (MJO). Led by saxophonist and educator Curt Hanrahan, the MJO is an A-list roster of Milwaukee musicians whose performances balance classic and contemporary standards and originals that are swinging, soulful, traditional and cutting-edge. Hanrahan is the former head of jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He co-founded the Lakeshore Conservatory of Music in Racine, Wis. and performs with the Milwaukee Symphony. He has worked with artists such as Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., the Arturo Sandoval Big Band, Manhattan Transfer, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Doc Severinsen, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Ray Charles.
This year’s festival is made possible by a generous donation from Hansen’s Pool and Spa. Participating band directors are Karl Mueller, Bradford High School; Joe Tackett, Harborside Academy; Michael Monk, Indian Trail High School and Academy; Kathy Ripley, Tremper High School; Stacey Zwirlein, Mahone Middle School; Matt Maccari, Lance Middle School; Nathan Larsen, Lincoln Middle School; Katie Poole, Bullen Middle School; and Lucas Dickinson, Washington Middle School.
For additional information, please contact Scott Plank, coordinator of fine arts, at 262-359-6388.