Western Connecticut State University will host its annual Jazz Fest on April 28, 29 & 30 at the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall in the university’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, 43 Lake Ave. Extension, Danbury. Tickets are available at www.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com/.
The 2022 WCSU Jazz Fest kicks off with performances by the WCSU Department of Music’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos on Thursday, April 28. Special guest Christian Sands will join the Frankensax ensemble and the Jazz Orchestra on Friday, April 29, and special guests The Kenny Barron Trio and the WCSU High School Honors Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Jimmy Greene, associate professor of music, are featured on Saturday, April 30; all shows are from 7 to 9 p.m.
Christian Sands is a Grammy award-nominated jazz pianist, composer and teacher who regularly tours the world and is renowned for his playing and composition skills. The New York Times noted that he “plays with a restrained touch and a rolling command across the entire keyboard.” Sands grew up in New Haven and later Orange, Connecticut, and is a Steinway Artist. His music is available on all major music streaming services.
Kenny Barron is considered one of the most influential jazz pianists and started his career with the Dizzy Gillespie quartet. Barron was nominated for Grammy Awards 11 times, and the Los Angeles Times called him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world.” Barron was named Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2010 and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2009. He won a MAC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist honors by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Advance ticket purchases made online are between $7 and $25 plus fees at www.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com/; tickets purchased at the door are $10 for April 28 performances, $20 for the April 29 show and $30 for April 30. All sales are final.
For more information, contact WCSU Public Relations at pr@wcsu.edu. Click here to join the WCSU School of Visual and Performing Arts mailing list or go to www.wcsu.edu/svpa/events/ for a list of performance events.