Music and Theatre Arts Festivals
UW-Eau Claire is host to a variety of music festivals for band, choir, and orchestra students. Each year we we connect outstanding musicians across the region in world class facilities for great educational experiences.
Get Involved with Festivals at UWEC
See the links below for all the information about the annual festival style events we host and find out how you or your school ensemble can get involved.
About the Festival
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is pleased to present the 31st Annual Clearwater Choral Festival at UW-Eau Claire on October 18-19, 2024. The festival will provide high-quality, positive experiences in vocalism and musicianship to gifted high school singers. The festival features performances by various UWEC choral ensembles and student soloists. The Clearwater Festival Honor Choir will be comprised of the top vocal musicians from high schools in the upper Midwest. Under the direction of Dr. Frank A. Watkins and Dr. Christopher McGinley, the two-day festival will feature three performances:
A Cappella Extravaganza
Friday, October 18 at 7:30 PM – Ojibwe Ballroom
From pop to renaissance, this must-see performance by our university a cappella ensembles showcases the art of a cappella singing. Our university a cappella groups are student-led and consist of both music majors and non-majors. Fifth Element, Callisto, Impromptu, Audacious, Innocent Men, and Memorial High School Noteworthy
Purchase tickets online or at the UW-Eau Claire Service Center – 715.836.4636.
Women's Concert Chorale and The Singing Statesmen Concert
Saturday, October 19 at 1:15 PM – Gantner Concert Hall, Haas Fine Arts Center
Free admission - In the middle of the day, UW-Eau Claire's Women's Concert Chorale and Singing Statesmen will perform for the participating students at Clearwater Choral Festival with the chance for a Q&A session afterwards.
Festival Concert
Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 PM – Gantner Concert Hall
Tickets may be purchased at https://uwec.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1941
The Festival Concert concludes the weekend of choral excellence. At this concert, the Festival Honor Choir of over 200 regional high school students will showcase the repertoire they worked hard to learn during the festival day. The concert will also feature performances by our university's Concert Choir and Novum Voce, the winners of the Outstanding Soloist Awards, and the Featured Festival Choir: Beaver Dam High School's Bel Canto.
2024 Featured High School Choir
Beaver Dam High School - Mark Lefeber, director
The BDHS choirs are in their 99th season, eagerly anticipating their 100th next year, which will include the world premier of a commissioned piece by Dr. Z. Randall Stroope. The BDHS choirs consist of three ensembles: Bel Canto (an auditioned mixed ensemble), Treble Choir (non-auditioned sopranos/altos), and Varsity Choir (non-auditioned Tenors and Basses. The program has three contemporary a cappella groups: Good Old A Cappella (regular quarter finalists in the International Championship of High School A Cappella), Treble Threat (sopranos/altos, directed by Mark's wife, and Beaver Dam Middle School choir director, Jessica Lefeber), and Bro Re Mi (tenors/basses). The department is active in solo and ensemble festival participation, with nearly half of all choir members performing a solo or in a small ensemble, and nearly two-thirds of Class A events qualifying for state in recent years. Bel Canto won a "Christmas Idol" competition through a local radio station with their recording of "No Room, No Room" by Ruth Morris Gray in 2019.
Application Process
Festival Registration Form
Directors may nominate up to five balanced octets (40 students total) of talented singers using the online application. Directors will be notified of selected students on a rolling admissions basis. Nominations are due Monday, September 30 (nominations will begin September 16, 2024.) Directors will be notified of selected students starting Friday, October 4.
Note: We recognize that all schools may not be able to submit balanced octets. Please do not leave out any students because of this. Please submit all names and a selection will be made.
Repertoire
The Clearwater Choral Festival takes pride in the quality of repertoire that is selected for the festival choir each year. For the 30th Annual Festival, the UWEC Choral Faculty has worked diligently to choose repertoire that upholds the standards of excellence we showcase in our festivals and ensembles.
Repertoire:
Hodie! - Matthew Armstrong - (SATB)
The Music of Living - Dan Forrest - (SATB)
The Road Home - Stephen Paulus - (SATB)
Sign Me Up - arr. Brandon Boyd - (SATB)
PRACTICE TRACKS AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
Packets are ordered through using the Application Form.
Packet price for individual member: $11.00 plus shipping
The Musician's Choice, LLC
1520 North Church Road –Suite D
Liberty, MO 64068
816.781.9700
Fax: 816.781.3299
Toll Free: 888.571.6640
themusicianschoice@yahoo.com
Fees
The participation fee for each student is $30 (does not cover cost of music), and is due upon registration October 19. Participating students will receive a complimentary digital recording of the final concert and a Clearwater Festival T-shirt. All meals will be on your own while attending the festival. Checks for the participation fee ($30 per student) will be collected at registration and should be made payable to the UWEC Choral Area. No school purchase orders, please.
*Any students that drop after Friday, October 11th or do not attend the festival the day of will be charged only $15 per student to cover their festival t-shirt and other expenses.
Note: Ensembles are responsible for purchasing their music packets via the invoice shipped with the music.
Outstanding Vocalist Award
UW –Eau Claire Choral Festival Scholarship, $1500.00
The UW-Eau Claire Department of Music offers $1,500.00 in Choral Scholarship(s) to qualifying high school senior members of the Clearwater Festival Honor Choir. Participants must prepare a memorized classical solo for the audition. The Voice/Choral Faculty will determine scholarship recipients & outstanding vocalist(s) will perform at the Festival Concert Saturday evening. Scholarship recipients are required to participate in a choral ensemble at UW-Eau Claire during the 2025-26 academic year in order to receive the scholarship.
Outstanding Vocalist Award Adjudicators:
Christine Amon, mezzo-soprano
Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, soprano
Mark Mowry, tenor
Kenneth Pereira, baritone
Please complete the Outstanding Vocalist Award Form and submit by Monday, October 7.
About the Festival
Date Thursday, January 16, 2025
Location: UW-Eau Claire Haas Fine Arts Center, Gantner Concert Hall
Times: Registration begins at 8:15 am in the Haas Fine Arts Lobby
Rehearsal begins at 9:00 am
Concert 6:00 pm - $9.00 general admission
Honor Choirs: This festival will provide singers with a high-quality, positive experience in vocalism, musicianship, and leadership. The Middle Level Honor Choirs will consist of two combined 7th and 8th grade choirs: SATB and SSA.
Application: 2025 UWEC Middle School Honor Choir Application Application Link
Application Process: Directors may nominate talented seventh and eighth grade singers using the online application – representation from each voice part (SATB) preferred. Nominations are due Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Directors will be notified of selected students December 20th, 2024.
Guest Artists/Clinicians: Erin L. Stier & Jean Enyeart (MORE INFORMATION HERE)
SATB CHOIR REPERTOIRE (Erin L. Stier, SATB Choir Guest Clinician):
- El Cielo Cantata Alegria, Roger Bergs (SATB)
- Found Tonight, arr. Jacob Narverud (SATB)
- We Are the Voices, Jim Papoulis (SATB)
- Crowded Table, Andrea Ramsey (SSA)
- Go! Said the Star, Ryan Main (TB)
TREBLE CHOIR REPERTOIRE (Jean Enyeart, Treble Choir Guest Clinician):
- Lineage (SSA) – Andrea Ramsey
- After Rain (SSA) – Sarah Quartel
- Widmung (SA) – Robert Schumann/arr. Mulholland
- Run Away (3-Part Treble) – Stuart Chapman Hill
FEES
The registration fee is $30.00 per student (no cost for directors) and is payable at registration January 16, 2025.
Participating students will receive a commemorative Honor Choir T-shirt and a pizza dinner. Each school will receive an audio recording of the concert. Registration fee ($30 per student) will be collected at registration and should be made payable to the UW-Eau Claire Choral Area. No school purchase orders please.
Registration: Complete the online registration form by Friday, December 6, 2024
*All students that drop after December 30th, 2024 or do not attend the festival, will be charged $15 (per student) to cover festival expenses.
Practice Tracks: Practice tracks available December 6, 2024
Questions Contact Dr. Frank A. Watkins, Director of Choral Activities (watkinfa@uwec.edu) or Danika Trzebiatowski, Choral Area Assistant (trzebida4442@uwec.edu)
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
This brand new all-day festival will offer students a space to learn and perform within a tenor-bass specific ensemble with singers from across the region. Students will sing repertoire fit for the tenor-bass voice in a supportive and fun atmosphere, and will have the opportunity to participate in side-by-side rehearsals and performance with UWEC's Singing Statesmen. Together, students will learn pieces that are immediately accessible and musically rewarding while experiencing what it is like to sing in a collegiate tenor-bass ensemble.
FESTIVAL LAYOUT
Each school will bring tenors/basses from their high school ensembles. Students will spend the day rehearsing 3-5 pieces side-by-side with our university's Singing Statesmen. The day will consist of break-out sectionals and team-building activities led by the Statesmen and end with a final concert.
APPLICATION
Directors may nominate up to 32 talented singers using the online application. Directors will be notified of selected students prior to the festival.
Applications are due Friday, January 17, 2025
Repertoire, practice tracks and other learning resources can be found here at a later date (Additional Details).
PAYMENT
Fees: The registration fee is $30 per student and is payable at registration February 20, 2025. Checks should be made payable to the UW-Eau Claire Choral Area; we are unable to accept purchase orders. The registration fee covers the Festival T-Shirt, concert recording, morning snacks, and dinner. Lunch is on your own in Eau Claire (or bring a bagged lunch to eat on campus).
*Any students that drop after February 3, 2025 or do not attend the festival the day of will be charged $15 dollars per student to cover their festival t-shirt and food expenses.
CLINICIAN
Dr. Christopher G. McGinley is a dynamic conductor and music educator based in the upper Midwest where he serves as Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Music Director at Trinity Lutheran Congregation in Minneapolis. His choirs are noted for their vibrant and nuanced interpretations of works from diverse eras and genres. A strong advocate for community music, McGinley has served intergenerational choirs in Philadelphia, Wisconsin, and Oregon. He holds degrees in conducting and music education from the University of Minnesota, the University of Oregon, and the University of Delaware and pursued further studies in conducting at the Frost School of Music. His conducting mentors include Kathy Saltzman Romey, Matthew Mehaffey, Karen Kennedy, Sharon Paul, and Paul D. Head.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The UW- Eau Claire Choral area is pleased to present the first annual Treble Choir Choral Festival, at UW-Eau Claire on March 4, 2025.
This new, one-day festival brings together talented high school treble singers from across the region. The festival provides a platform for choral singers to showcase their skills and learn from experienced conductors in a safe and affirming environment. With a focus on promoting life-long singing, and the celebration of music written specifically for treble singers, the UW-Eau Claire Treble Choir Festival is a must-attend event for singers passionate about choral music.
FESTIVAL LAYOUT
The festival is open to all high school treble singers. Under the direction of Dr. Frank A. Watkins, Director of Choral Activities, singers will spend the day rehearsing side-by-side with Women's Concert Chorale (WoCo). The day will consist of break-out sectionals and team-building activities led by WoCo and will end with a final concert.
REPERTOIRE
Rise Above – J. Reese Norris
Musicspoke - 11167292
Song of Miriam – Elaine Hagenberg
Elaine Hagenberg Music – G-EH1001
Koowa – Maryam Khoury
Santa Barbara Music Publishing – SBMP695
Crowded Table – Andrea Ramsey
Hal Leonard - 00339323
APPLICATION
Directors may nominate up to 32 talented singers using the online application. Directors will be notified of selected students prior to the festival.
Applications are due February 3rd, 2025
Repertoire, practice tracks, and other learning resources can be found here at a later date. (Additional Details).
REGISTRATION DETAILS
The registration fee is $30 per student and is payable at registration March 4, 2025. Checks should be made payable to the UW-Eau Claire Choral Area; we are unable to accept purchase orders. Registration fees provide singers with a festival pencil, part tracks, snacks throughout the day, the concert recording, and a festival T-shirt to be worn during the event and the final concert. Lunch is on your own in Eau Claire (or bring a bagged lunch to eat on campus).
*Any students that drop after February 17, 2025, or do not attend the festival the day of will be charged $15 dollars per student to cover their festival t-shirt and food expenses.
Questions: Contact Dr. Frank A. Watkins, Director of Choral Activities - watkinfa@uwec.edu or Elise Mangan, Choral Area Assistant - manganek7478@uwec.edu
We hope that you will join us!
UWEC High School Honor Band, Op. 59
DATE: Saturday, November 8, 2025
LOCATION: The Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701)
TIMES: Registration begins at 7:30am in the lobby of the Confluence Center. The concert begins at 7pm in RCU Concert Hall.
BANDS: The 2025 UW Eau Claire Honor Band will consist of Four High School Concert Bands. We will have two 9th-10th Grade Bands and two 11th-12th Grade Bands.
APPLICATION: 2025 High School Honor Band Application
APPLICATION PROCESS: Directors will nominate students using the online application. Applications are due Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Directors will be notified of selected students by Friday, October 17, 2025. We encourage directors to nominate students in grades 9 through 12.
GUEST ARTISTS/CONDUCTORS: Each year Honor Band participants have the opportunity to collaborate with UW Eau Claire studio faculty member in masterclasses and collaborate with MUED Majors in sectionals. Dr. John R. Stewart, Dr. Phillip Ostrander, and Dr. Kara Metzger will serve as guest conductors for the 2025 High School Honor Bands.
FEES: The participation fee is $40 per student (no cost for directors) and is payable at registration on November 8th. Participating students will receive a catered lunch, an audio recording of the Honor Band Concert and a UW Eau Claire Honor Band t-shirt. No school purchase orders please. Concert tickets for the concert can be purchased online at the Pablo Center.
QUESTIONS: Contact Dr. John R. Stewart, Director of Concert Bands (stewajo@uwec.edu) or our Band Student Assistant (bands@uwec.edu)
UWEC Middle School Honor Band, Op. 9
Date: Friday, January 23, 2026
Location: Gantner Concert Hall - Haas Fine Arts Center (121 Water Street, Eau Claire, WI 54702)
Times: Registration begins 8:00am - Haas Fine Arts Lobby, Rehearsal begins at 9am , Concert 6:30pm - $9.00 general admission (Additional Details)
Bands: The 2026 UWEC Middle School Honor Band will consist of three combined 7th and 8th Grade Concert Bands.
Application: 2026 UWEC Middle School Honor Band Application
Application Process: Directors will nominate talented 7th and 8th Grade Band students using the online application. Applications are due on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Directors will be notified of selected students starting on Friday, December 12, 2025.
Guest Artists/Clinicians: Dr. John R. Stewart, Director of Concert Bands, and Dr. Phil Ostrander will serve as the guest conductors for the 2026 Middle School Honor Bands.
Fees: The participation fee is $40 per student (no cost for directors) and is payable upon registration on January 23, 2026. Participating students will receive an audio recording of the Honor Band Concert, an Honor Band t-shirt, and pizza dinner will be provided. Checks can be paid to UWEC Bands. No school purchase orders please.
Questions: Contact Dr. John R. Stewart, Director of Concert Bands (stewajo@uwec.edu) or Aleah Vincent, Band Student Assistant (bands@uwec.edu)
UWEC Concert Band Festival and Concert Band Showcase
Date: April 7, 2026
Location: The Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701)
About: The UW – Eau Claire Concert Band Festival is a non-competitive event where bands perform on the RCU Theatre stage, receive written and verbal feedback from UW – Eau Claire Band Faculty, guest artists, and a 30-minute clinic. Participating bands are encouraged to be in the audience for two performances throughout the day. The day will conclude with the UWEC Concert Band Showcase Concert. This clinic festival may be used to fulfill the WSMA Large Group Festival requirement.
UW – Eau Claire will provide the following equipment on the RCU Stage for your performance (Please bring your own mallets)
- Musician Chairs and Stands
- Conductor Podium and Stand
- 4 timpani (5th is available if requested)
- Bass Drum
- Tam-Tam
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
- Chimes
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Crotales
- Piano (if requested)
Groups will Receive:
- Written and recorded feedback
- One-on-one clinic
- Professional audio and video recording of performance
Registration: Registration is $300 per band. Registration will begin on May 2025, click here to register. Space is limited, so register early. Checks payable to UWEC Bands. To secure your registration, payment must be received by March 7, 2026.
Deadlines: Program info and Seating Diagrams are due by March 1st, 2026
Sample Participant Schedule:
9am – Warmup
9:30am – Performance on RCU Stage
10am – Clinic in JAMF Theatre
10:30am – Pack up instruments.
11am – Watch fellow participant performance.
12pm – Lunch on our own
7:30pm – UW – Eau Claire Concert Band Showcase Concert featuring perofrmances by the University Band, Symphony Band, and Wind Symphony.
Guest Artist/Clinicians:
Dr. John R. Stewart is Professor of Music and Director of Concert Bands at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire where he conducts the Wind Symphony, teaches courses in conducting and repertoire, supervises student teachers, coordinates the concert band program, and serves as the Wind and Percussion Division Coordinator. Under his leadership, the Wind Symphony has performed at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, the CBDNA/NBA North Central Division Regional Conference, the Minnesota Music Educators Association Mid-Winter Clinic, and his ensembles have performed across Europe and Southeast Asia. Dr. Stewart maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician across the United States. He completed his Doctorate of Philosophy in Music Education (2013) at the University of Minnesota while studying conducting with Craig Kirchhoff. Dr. Stewart earned his Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of South Florida (2009) and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Central Florida (1996).
Prior to his appointment at UWEC, Dr. Stewart was Interim Conductor of the St. Cloud State University Wind Ensemble (Minnesota). Dr. Stewart served as Director of Bands at Saint Cloud High School (Florida) from 1996-2010 where he directed the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Winds, Percussion Ensemble and Marching Band. In 2006, he earned his National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and in 2008 was named the St. Cloud High School "Teacher of the Year."
Dr. Stewart contributed to Teaching Music through Performance in Band: Solos with Wind Band Accompaniment published by GIA Publications, Inc., has published articles in Contributions to Music Education, the Minnesota Music Educators Association Journal, and has presented sessions at the Society for Music Teacher Educators bi-annual conference, the Wisconsin Music Educators Association State Conference, the National Band Association – Wisconsin Chapter State Conference, and the MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic. Forthcoming presentations include the Florida Music Educators Association Convention, the Colorado Music Educators Association Convention and the NBA – Wisconsin Convention in 2020. His current research interests include Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) and repertoire.
Dr. Stewart presently serves as a member of the board for the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Band Association, and is on the commissioning committee for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles. His professional affiliations include College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
Dr. Phillip Ostrander is Professor of Trombone and Bands at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire where he conducts the Symphony Band, teaches private trombone, and trombone ensemble. Dr. Ostrander completed his doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Ostrander received master's degrees in both trombone and wind conducting from the New England Conservatory, as well as a bachelor's and Performer's Certificate from Eastman. Dr. Ostrander champions diversity in repertoire with the UWEC Symphony Band. The band performs music composed by under-represented composers in every concert, and since 2017, the ensemble’s first concert of the year celebrates music written by female composers. The ensemble tours to a middle or high school with a diverse student population every year to perform and collaborate.
He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Kansas City Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the popular chamber groups Rhythm and Brass and the Burning River Brass Ensemble. Currently, he is a member of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, Tennessee under Michael Stern and also Principal Trombone of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. He performs in Broadway shows regularly at the Orpheum and State theatres in Minneapolis. An accomplished jazz trombonist, Dr. Ostrander has collaborated with jazz artists Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi and Rich Beirach. He teaches jazz and created the Trombone Workshop at the Shell Lake Arts Camp in northern Wisconsin. He has recorded on Sony Classical with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Naxos with the IRIS Orchestra. Dr. Ostrander is a clinician for the Conn-Selmer Musical Instrument Company.
Questions: Contact Dr. John R. Stewart, Director of Concert Bands (stewajo@uwec.edu) or 715-836-4417
Date: February 15th, 2025
Location: Haas Fine Arts Center (121 Water Street Eau Claire, WI 54703)
About: Attention all woodwind enthusiasts! Mark your calendars for the 2025 UW-Eau Claire Woodwind Day, set to take place on February 15th, 2025, at Haas Fine Arts Center. Experience masterclasses by UWEC woodwind faculty and guest artists, vendors, woodwind ensembles, enhanced practicing techniques to improve your playing, and FUN!
This event will feature Professor of Music at Delta State University and woodwind expert Bret Pimental. Dr. Pimentel teaches applied oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone, as well as chamber music, woodwind methods, and jazz courses. He is also the author of Woodwind Basics: Core concepts for playing and teaching flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone, and he holds degrees in multiple woodwinds from the University of Georgia and Indiana University.
Work closely with UWEC Woodwind faculty:
Dr. Brian Allred, flute
Dr. Christa Garvey, oboe
Dr. Alyssa Powell, clarinet
Dr. Alex Widstrand, bassoon
Dr. Manuel Vásquez Ramírez, saxophone
REGISTER HERE
We're looking forward to working with you! Please bring your instrument and reeds (if applicable) to play in group workshops and the large ensemble sessions. The registration fee of $35 includes instruction, all materials, a pizza lunch, and a water bottle and is payable at the event by cash or check to UWEC. For questions or concerns, please email Dr. Christa Garvey garveycn@uwec.edu
Friday & Saturday April 11th-12th, 2025
The Eau Claire Jazz Festival is a regional music festival, dedicated to educating, entertaining and promoting jazz. Since 1967, the Eau Claire Jazz Festival has maintained a standard of excellence in jazz education and performance. This educational and cultural jazz festival has earned its distinction as one of the oldest and largest events by providing local, national and international artists the opportunity to showcase their creative work and by highlighting the enduring elements and important directions in this distinctly American music. Furthermore, the Eau Claire Jazz Festival is the largest student run festival in the United States. With a board made of community members to oversee, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire students perform all duties needed in order to support the festival making it one of a kind.
eauclairejazz.com
FESTIVAL EVENTS
Jazz Crawl | Friday April 11th | Barstow Street Eau Claire, WI
Jazz Crawl is the transformation of downtown Eau Claire into a New York jazz scene. Here, you can explore over 40 exceptional music groups at 17 different venues (all-ages and 21+). This year, our groups will be featuring a variety of music styles including ragtime, blues, acoustic, and big band. Join over 3,000 people and enjoy this once a year celebration!
Explore over 25 indoor/outdoor venues for just a $20 wristband. ($25 week of) Children 10 and under are FREE. Proceeds support our Eau Claire Jazz Festival educational programs.
Concert Series | April 11th-12th | Pablo Center
Join us for an incomparable weekend of jazz! On the evenings of April 11th and 12th, GRAMMY-nominated UW-Eau Claire Jazz I will perform with two internationally-acclaimed guest artists John Clayton and Camille Thurman.
Bassist, Composer, Arranger and Producer, John Clayton, is a busy man. He is a Grammy© winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, YoYo Ma and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few.
John was the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (The Netherlands) from 1980-1984.
It is John’s arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” that helped propel Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl (the recording went platinum). His recordings with the Clayton Brothers, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Count Basie and others are plentiful. John feels “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘Learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.” In 1986, John co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled The Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, he also directs the educational components of Centrum, The Port Townsend Jazz Festival, and the Vail Jazz Workshop.
Camille Thurman made history, becoming the first woman in 30 years to tour, record, and perform full-time internationally with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a saxophonist/woodwind doubler (2018-2020 season). A respected bandleader, she has headlined numerous notable concert venues and jazz festivals worldwide, including the Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, and the Rose Theater. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Performance at McGill University.
The New York City native has amassed several distinctive honors for her musicianship: NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Jazz Album, recipient of the SOUTH Arts Creative Jazz Road Artistic Residency, Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll Nominee for Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist and Vocalist and Rising New Artist (2023, 2022, 2021 & 2020), two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award, a recipient of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant and Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation) among others. Thurman also has five full-length recordings as a leader to her credit. Her most recent project, “Confluence: Vol 1,” is a collaboration with master drummer Darrell Green and his quartet.
Master Classes & Student Sessions | April 11th-12th | UWEC Campus
Once a year, we are humbled by the time and energy our iconic jazz artists offer visiting students through the Eau Claire Jazz Master Classes. Both students and educators find exceptional value in the insight our world-class jazz masters share through their presentations, performance, and Q&A session. Be ready with questions or just be ready to be blown away. Our Master Classes do not disappoint!
Jazz students have been learning and growing at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival for decades. This year is even more dynamic than ever before. We've paired an impressive roster of adjudicators along with some of the most inspiring jazz icons to create an exceptional experience for your schools.
Hosted by Eau Claire Jazz Inc.
The mission of Eau Claire Jazz Inc. is to inspire, educate and entertain. We create a vibrant, growing community which celebrates high-quality Jazz music through engaging performances and investments in Jazz education to build the future of this unique, original American art form. In the tradition of luminaries who made northwestern Wisconsin an inspirational center for Jazz education for decades, ECJI's vision is to extend the reach of its word-class Jazz experiences to new local, regional, and national audiences. Through deeper partnerships with UW-Eau Claire, our community and music educators at all levels, ECJI will maintain and enhance the quality of our annual events, invest in the success of UW-Eau Claire's Jazz Studies program and establish new performance and educational opportunities to carry the torch of Jazz to the next generation of performers, musicians, and audiences.
Join 60+ talented high school musicians from the upper Midwest at the 2024 UWEC Honors Orchestra! Students spend the day rehearsing in the Honors Orchestra, participating in master classes with UWEC faculty, and sectionals with UWEC MUED Majors. The day will conclude with a concert in the newly renovated Gantner Concert Hall in the Haas Fine Arts Center!
8:00 am - Registration - HFA Lobby
8:30 am - Rehearsals
11:00 am - Masterclasses
12:00 pm - Lunch
12:30 pm - Rehearsals
3:30 pm - Change for Concert
3:50 pm - Warm up
4:00 pm - FREE Concert in Gantner Concert Hall
Directors nominate students using the online application. Applications are due Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Directors will be notified of selected students starting Monday, September 9, 2024. We encourage directors to nominate deserving student musicians in grades 9 through 12. Registration fees ($32/student) are due the day of the festival.
REGISTER HERE
Registration Deadline is October 4th, 2024
Where: Haas Fine Arts Center, 121 Water St, Eau Claire, WI 54703
Additional Details: There will be a registration fee to cover lunch and student assistants. There will be separate fees for each session: $40 for full day and $15 for half day.
Questions? Contact Joshua at schwaljj@uwec.edu
This event will feature clinics, performances, and masterclasses from:
- Jeremy Boettcher (jazz bassist, UWEC jazz coach) – sponsored by the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Studies Area
- Chunyang Wang (Principal Bass of the Arizona Opera and Orchestra Iowa, and member of Grant Park Symphony)
- UWEC alum Hannah Sternberg (Orchestra Director at Kettle Moraine High School)
- UWEC students and faculty
The day will conclude with everyone performing in a Bass Orchestra together!
Two Attendance Options:
- A half-day session in the afternoon from *1:00pm* to 6:00pm, geared toward younger bassists. This session will feature a performance by Chunyang Wang, a clinic with UWEC alum Hannah Sternberg, and a performance with a Bass Orchestra.
- A full-day session from 9:00am to approximately 6:00pm geared toward more advanced bassists and college students. This session will feature a technique class with Chunyang Wang, a jazz clinic with Jeremy Boettcher, masterclasses, and performances that are also part of the half-day session. The day will conclude with all participants playing together for the Bass Orchestra performance.
REGISTER by contacting Dr. Joshua Shwalbach at schwaljj@uwec.edu
Join us Saturday, November 2nd in the Haas Fine Arts Center for the Violin and Viola Festival! Work with Dr. Christine Harada Li to improve your technique, musical expression, and interpretation!
Faculty:
Dr. Christine Harada Li, UWEC Violin and Viola Professor
Fabiola Kim, University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre and Dance
Schedule*
8:30 am Student Registration
9:00-9:50 am First group rehearsal
10:00-10:50 am Technique Class
11:00 am Workshop: Body Awareness for Musicians
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Masterclasses (break to different groups)
Christine Harada Li & Fabiola Kim
2:10-2:50pm Sectionals / split group rehearsals
3:00-4:00pm Dress rehearsal on stage
5:00 pm Festival Concert
*Schedule subject to change
Application form: https://forms.gle/f2oCJXafE72E38Bw6
Application deadline: October 26, 2024
Tuition: $40 due at registration
CONTACT
Christine Harada Li, DMA
Assistant Professor of Violin
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Artistic Director, Anchorage Chamber Music Festival
www.christineharadali.com
lichris@uwec.edu
The University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire will host the 11th edition of Cellopalooza
Cellopalooza is the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire cello festival. An event dedicated to celebrate the violoncello, the BEST instrument in the world! Cellopalooza will have masterclasses, clinics, and concerts. Our faculty this year includes, UWEC violoncello professor Dr. Tulio Rondón, Professor Dean Langby, and guest artists Dr. Nathaniel Pierce.
This event is for all cellists, elementary through college level, as well as amateur cellists of all ages.
Tuition $40.
Please REGISTER by October 18th to be considered for a scholarship.
Contact:
Dr. Tulio Rondon (he/him/his)
Professor of Violoncello
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
105 Garfield Ave.
PO Box 4004
Eau Claire, WI 54702
e-mail: rondontj@uwec.edu
ph: 715-836-3389
Cellopalooza 2024 is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.