Jazz Ensemble Concert Set for Nov. 2

Saxophonist and flautist Erica von Kleist will be the guest soloist at the University’s Jazz Ensemble Concert on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble concert, presented by Performance Music, will feature guest soloist Erica von Kleist Saturday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free.
The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble concert, presented by Performance Music, will feature guest soloist Erica von Kleist Saturday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free.

The University of Scranton will welcome acclaimed saxophonist and flautist Erica von Kleist as their soloist on Saturday, Nov. 2, for a concert presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue). Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

In addition to the concert in the evening, von Kleist will present an entry-level improvisation masterclass that afternoon. The class is open to student musicians, music teachers, amateur and professional instrumentalists, ages 16 and older. The masterclass is free of charge, and those interested in participating in the masterclass should pre-register by emailing music@scranton.edu for more information and registration materials.

Multi-instrumentalist, teacher and entrepreneur von Kleist began her career as a saxophonist and flautist in the New York jazz scene. A native of Connecticut, Erica moved to the city to study at the renowned Juilliard School and in 2004 earned the first bachelor’s degree in jazz in the school’s history. After graduation, von Kleist’s next ten years were filled with performances, tours and several Grammy-nominated recordings with various artists including the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Chris Potter, Sean Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Rufus Reid and The Addams Family on Broadway among, others. Honored with two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, several mentions in Downbeat’s annual Readers and Critics Polls, and the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, von Kleist then extended her scope as a bandleader with the release of three albums: Project E; Erica von Kleist and No Exceptions; and Alpine Clarity, with a fourth with tap dancer DeWitt Fleming Jr. due out in 2020.

A teacher for more than 20 years, von Kleist has always had a passion for education. Her theory text book “A Cool Approach to Jazz Theory (currently in revisions for a second edition) has been used as a curriculum for several middle and high school jazz programs. As a clinician, she has lectured in music business and performance at The Juilliard School, UNC Greensboro, The University of Scranton, University of Montana, Stanford University and many others. She is an adjudicator for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Festival and a faculty member for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra Jazz Program.

The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 22-member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform four or more times per year, and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and often feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.

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