A world-renowned composer and arranger will work with students during Troy University’s annual vocal jazz workshop, the recently renamed Vocal Jazz and More! Workshop, March 20-21 at the Troy Campus.
Award-winning jazz performer, composer and arranger Greg Jasperse serves as clinician during this year’s event, which was known in previous years as the Vocal Jazz Invitational.
The event began in 2015 as an on-campus recruiting and outreach opportunity for middle school through community college students.
“This year, I decided to expand it to include schools who are performing acapella, pop, show choir and vocal jazz,” said Dr. Diane Orlofsky, Director of Choirs. “Every year, we dedicate the first day of the workshop to our on-campus vocal jazz ensemble, Frequency. Members of Frequency will spend the afternoon and evening working with Greg. The next day, we will host groups and individuals from surrounding school systems.”
This year’s event coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Frequency, making the event particularly special to Orlofsky.
“I thought the expansion would be a great way to celebrate Frequency’s 10-year anniversary and to also acknowledge the wide-ranging appeal of contemporary genres for vocal ensembles,” she said. “Greg Jasperse was influential in the early years of Frequency and visited the Troy Campus four times throughout 2010-2011 to help the group prepare to record ‘Fields of Gold: The Music of Greg Jasperse.’ We are excited to welcome Greg back to our campus.
Following eight years as a professional musician in Los Angeles, Jasperse now serves as an assistant professor of vocal jazz and the Director of Gold Company at Western Michigan University. A world-renowned composer and arranger, he is renowned internationally as a clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor.
His conducting credits include all-state jazz choirs in New York, California, Oklahoma, Indiana, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, New Hampshire, Illinois and Iowa, as well as the British Columbia Honors Jazz Choir.
Jasperse’s voice can be heard on numerous movie soundtracks, including “Oz, The Great and Powerful,” “The Campaign,” “Star Trek,” “National Treasure 2” and “Real Steel,” as well as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Monarchy of Roses” and Muse’s album “The 2nd Law.”
The event is sponsored by the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Jazz@U Program of the Jazz Education Network, the Office of Sponsored Programs and the John M. Long School of Music.
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