Music lovers take note: on Friday, March 7th, the region’s top youth and professional Jazz musicians will perform at Wilton High School’s Little Theater at the 48th Annual John Rhodes Jazz Symposium.
Two Jazz ensembles from Wilton High School will perform at this event. Joining the Wilton ensembles are jazz bands from Waterbury and across Fairfield County. Wilton High School’s Jazz II ensemble will kickstart the event with a performance at 4 pm, followed by performances every half-hour by Ridgefield, Kennedy, Brien McMahon, New Canaan, Staples, Darien, Fairfield Warde, and the Wilton High School Jazz I ensemble.
Troy Williams and MJ Alexander, Wilton High School’s Band Directors, are thrilled to welcome Berkshire Jazz Orchestra for a guest performance at 9 p.m. Active performers and educators from the Fairfield County community make up the heart of the Berkshire Jazz Orchestra. This popular group can be seen on stages across the region.
The Symposium also welcomes back the incredibly talented musician and longtime Wilton resident Arthur Lipner. He is respected worldwide for his specialization in vibes, marimba and steel pans. Appearing on over 50 albums, Lipner has taught and presented on six continents, and he is an author as well as a composer. He will provide feedback for each youth jazz ensemble participating at the Symposium.
John Rhodes, a former teacher of music education in Wilton, initiated the Jazz Symposium in 1976. He dedicated over 50 years to music education, with 42 of them in Wilton. He was the Band Director and Instructional Leader at Wilton High School and Middlebrook School. Rhodes was also an Operetta, musical, and theater director. When Rhodes retired in 2018, Wilton Public Schools officially bestowed his name on its annual jazz symposium in appreciation for his dedication to promoting music in our community.
The Wilton Jazz Symposium provides a forum for students to perform for one another and the public. It was the original jazz festival of its kind in our state. The format of the festival is now a standard throughout the state and region at large.
With over 150 students and professionals sharing their talents to deliver an evening of live musical performances, this is an event you won’t want to miss. It is free and open to the public to watch and listen to fabulous music on Friday, March 7th. A wide range of musical repertoires will include styles from traditional big band swing to contemporary jazz, from Latin to ballads. Mark your calendars for this event!