Less than two weeks away, anticipation is beginning to crescendo for the Brandon University Jazz Festival, which features an artist who took home a Grammy just last month.
The annual musical event brings students, music educators, vaunted performers, and jazz lovers together for three days of excitement at the BU campus. In its second year back after the pandemic, the festival is attracting new crowds, and some concerts are even starting to sell out.
“This is great news, and we’re thrilled, particularly since Brandon University is still new at hosting, even though the festival has more than four decades of history behind it,” said Aren Teerhuis, the BU School of Music’s Outreach Coordinator. “There’s incredible energy when you join eager students, passionate educators, and award-winning musicians, and audiences can reap the rewards.
Although there are multiple smaller performances across the three days of the festival, it’s the big evening concerts that are drawing the most attention, he said
“There are five free performances by our small ensemble during the day at the festival, but our major artist shows are Thursday and Friday evenings on the Westman Stage of the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium,” Teerhuis said. “It’s a fantastic venue for large audiences, and we’re so pleased with the public’s response so far.”
With performances at 6:30 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday evenings, there should be ample tickets — but those tickets are already going quickly. The Thursday 6:30 p.m. show is already sold out. Teerhuis recommends members of the public look for tickets to either of the Friday evening concerts.
Each evening features the Brandon University Big Band, under the direction of Diogo Peixoto, performing alongside internationally acclaimed jazz educators and performers. The Thursday show brings guests Sara Gazarek, Kelsley Grant, Rachel Therrien, and Samuel Torjman Thomas. In February, Gazarek won a Grammy in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals category with her group säje. The Friday show welcomes guests Luis Deniz, Claire Devlin, Joanna Majoko, and Jason Palmer.
“It’s an outstanding lineup of performers, and we have a special program prepared,” said Deniz, an Assistant Professor in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music at BU. Originally from Cuba, Deniz has also been nominated for a Grammy and has won a Juno, among other awards. “There’s no better feeling than being totally in tune with a big group of musicians on stage, and I’m so excited to put on a great show for our audience.”
Tickets to all evening shows are available through the WMCA website and are $30 each, with discounts for group purchases of 10 or more. For more information, see BUJazzFest.ca.
The BU Jazz Fest is also a performance showcase for music students from across the province and beyond. More than 100 school groups from across the Prairies are registered to perform at this year’s BU Jazz Fest, and all six of BU’s full-time and sessional BU jazz faculty members have been called on to adjudicate at the festival, joining a dozen of the finest jazz educators and musicians from across North America.
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