2027 NMU Jazz Festival
Featuring
PATTY DARLING
Thurs. & Fri., March 18-19
General Information
The 2027 NMU Jazz Festival will be held on the beautiful campus of Northern Michigan University on Thursday and Friday, March 18-19. High school and middle school jazz bands and combos in the region are invited to participate. There is a $250 entry fee for each participating ensemble (additional ensembles from the same school can register for $100). Space is limited. The registration deadline is Friday, February 12, 2027. You can download registration materials by clicking on the yellow button below.
This year's festival will feature Patty Darling, a highly-regarded composer and arranger who directs the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble in Appleton, WI. She also teaches classes at Lawrence in jazz composition, arranging, electronic music, and functional jazz piano. Patty has received awards for her compositions and arrangements from Down Beat magazine, the Presser Foundation, the Eastman School of Music, the International Association for Jazz Education, and the Wisconsin Arts Board. Her most recent compositions for jazz ensemble (including her contributions to the Radiohead Jazz Project) are published through Sierra Music.
We are very pleased that Patty will be joining us for the NMU Jazz Festival this year in Marquette, and we are particularly excited that she will be writing a new piece that will be premiered by the NMU Jazz Band at this event!
See Festival details below!
Festival Schedule (in Reynolds Recital Hall)
Thursday, March 19
8:00am-12noon - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
12:00noon - LUNCH BREAK
1:00pm - GUEST ARTIST CLINIC (featuring Patty Darling)
2:00-5:00pm - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
5:30-7:00pm - Jam Session (upstairs in Hedgcock Atrium)
7:30pm - EVENING CONCERT (featuring Patty Darling with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo)
Friday, March 20
8:00am-12noon - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
12:00noon - LUNCH BREAK
1:00pm - GUEST ARTIST CLINIC (featuring Patty Darling)
2:00-5:00pm - HS and MS Band Performances/Clinics
5:30-7:00pm - Jam Session (upstairs in Hedgcock Atrium)
7:30pm - EVENING CONCERT (featuring Patty Darling with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo)
Jams, Clinics and Workshops
High School and Middle School Performances and Clinics
Registered high school and middle school ensembles will perform in scheduled time slots on Thursday & Friday (March 18 & 19), and then get feedback and work with festival clinicians. Performances and clinics will all take place in Reynolds Recital Hall.
Faculty Combo Performances/Clinics
Patty Darling will be presenting educational clinics at 1:00pm on both Thursday and Friday in Reynolds Recital Hall. These presentations are free and open to the public.
Jam Session!
The popular jam sessions for festival participants will be held from 5:30-7:00pm on both Thursday and Friday in the Hedgcock Atrium. Traditionally, jam sessions were the place where emerging jazz artists congregated to try out new ideas and work at perfecting the craft of improvisation. This session will be offered in that spirit, and will provide students with an opportunity to practice improvisation and listen to others.
Two Evening Concerts!
Thursday, March 18 @ 7:30 p.m.
Reynolds Recital Hall
Featuring Patty Darling with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo
Tickets available at the door and in advance through the NMU Ticket Office (tickets.nmu.edu, 906-227-1032)
Friday, March 19 @ 7:30 p.m.
Reynolds Recital Hall
Featuring Patty Darling with the NMU Jazz Band & the NMU Jazz Combo
Tickets available at the door and in advance through the NMU Ticket Office (tickets.nmu.edu, 906-227-1032)
History of the NMU Jazz Festival
The NMU Jazz Festival is an annual educational event that brings talented high school and middle school students to NMU from throughout the region to celebrate an original American art form - JAZZ!
NMU has presented numerous jazz clinics and concerts over the last fifty years, but the current NMU Jazz Festival began in 1998 when NMU Friends of Jazz (an NMU student organization) invited the legendary trumpeter Clark Terry to perform a concert with the NMU Jazz Band. Several local high school bands were invited to participate in clinics in conjunction with this event, and the positive responses from participants and audience members suggested that an annual jazz festival would be well-received.
Since then, NMU Friends of Jazz has continued to work with the NMU Music Department and the NMU College of Arts and Sciences to bring outstanding jazz artists to NMU on a yearly basis, and the high school and middle school participation in these events has grown steadily - in an average year, more than 25 ensembles (300-400 students) participate in performances and clinics.
The festival is a highlight of the year for jazz fans in the Marquette community.
Past Featured Artists
NMU Friends of Jazz are shown with guest performing artist Regina Carter at the 2015 Jazz Festival. Students not only have a chance to learn from and perform with giants of jazz, they also get to know them personally.
Here are the magnificent musicians we have had the pleasure of hosting over the years:
- 1998 - Clark Terry
- 1999 - Jeff Halsey
- 2000 - John Fedchock
- 2001 - Jim McNeely
- 2002 - Jon Faddis
- 2003 - Peter Erskine
- 2004 - Mike Stern
- 2005 - Steve Turre
- 2006 - Bob Mintzer, Kirsten Gustafson, Kelly Rossum, Dave Ziegner
- 2007 - Dean Sorenson & Randy Sabien
- 2008 - Bobby Shew
- 2009 - Fred Sturm & Bill Carrothers
- 2010 - Kevin Mahogany
- 2011 - Michael Philip Mossman
- 2012 - Ingrid Jensen
- 2013 - Jim Snidero & Kathy Kosins
- 2014 - Stefon Harris
- 2015 - Regina Carter
- 2016 - Michael Davis
- 2017 - Chase Sanborn
- 2018 - Aimee Nolte
- 2019 - Allen Vizzutti
- 2020 - Cancelled (due to COVID-19)
- 2021 - Online Event (due to COVID-19)
- 2022 - Mike Tomaro
- 2023 - Dean Sorenson
- 2024 - Ellen Rowe
- 2025 - Matt Wilson
- 2026 - The Westerlies
Festival Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding the annual NMU Jazz Festival, please contact Mark Flaherty at 906-227-1037.
If you would like to bring your group to the festival and it is past the deadline, please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Flaherty. Occasionally we have extra slots available after the deadline.
Also - let him know if you would like to be on the email list for future Jazz Festivals!