JazzGroup
Director: Richard G. Falco (rfalco@wpi.edu)
Founded: 1979
The WPI JazzGroup consists of three award-winning jazz groups on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. performs often throughout the academic year in concerts, festivals, live television and radio broadcasts, through recordings and in joint concerts with other United States colleges.
In March 1988, the Stage Band and Jazz Ensemble completed a successful European tour which included performances in Belgium, Luxembourg and France. They were the subject of a special broadcast entitled "A Tout Jazz" on the National Pubic Radio of France.
In 1990, they performed in the palace of Culture in Moscow and in Mali Hall in Leningrad by special invitation of the Leningrad Jazz Society. After playing joint concerts at various Russian music schools, they completed their tour with a performance in the Palace of the Military in Bucharest, Romania.
In March of 1992 the two groups toured Egypt where they performed at the American University in Cairo, Ramses College and the Garden of the Sphinx in Gisa.
Recent concert tours included performances in Vienna, Austria and the Czech Republic in the Spring of 1994, St. Petersburg and Pushkin, Russia in the Spring of 1996, Montreal, Canada in 1997 and Spain in March of 1998 where they performed in Madrid, Avila, Segovia, and Toledo.
The Stage Band is the largest of the three ensembles, consisting of 18-24 musicians. The group performs works from the traditional as well as the contemporary big band repertoire. Rehearsals are held weekly.
The Jazz Ensemble, consisting of 10-14 musicians, performs contemporary jazz compositions with a strong emphasis on improvisation. Discussion concerning jazz theory, harmony, rhythmic analysis and small band arranging are an integral part of each weekly meeting. Performances include several concerts and festivals, local television and radio appearances, and recording dates.
Finally, the Jazz Workshop is open to all students wishing to explore jazz (even those musicians who have had no prior jazz experience). Its weekly meetings consist of performing big band arrangements, as well as developing beginning to intermediate jazz improvisation skills. This organization performs two major concerts a year.
For more information, visit the JazzGroup Web site.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: September 21, 2009 15:47:03