Apr 12, 2026–���߲�����’s annual President’s Concert will feature a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” by the ���߲����� Chamber Choir in collaboration with The Choral Experience at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12 at First Presbyterian Church, 301 N. 7th Street in downtown St. Joseph. The concert, presented by the ���߲����� Arts Society, is free and open to the public.��

The concert will bring together ���߲����� students and professional choral artists in a shared performance of one of the most celebrated works in the choral repertoire.��

“Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ is known for its vibrant energy, lyrical beauty and dramatic contrasts, making it a cornerstone of Baroque sacred music,” said Dr. Paul Dease, director of choral studies. “This collaboration highlights ���߲�����’s commitment to high-impact learning through performance, allowing students to engage in professional-level music-making while strengthening the University’s role as a cultural leader in the region.”

���߲����� Arts Society members who register in advance get preferred seating and an invitation to post concert reception. To register go to . To learn more about the ���߲����� Arts Society go to .��

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ���߲����� is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Feb. 11–The music program in the ���߲����� School of Fine Arts will host the 19th Annual Jazz Festival starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12.��

The festival has grown from four bands attending in its first year, 2007, to this year’s 18 school groups performing in Blum 219 and the Fulkerson Center. Each ensemble performs for the adjudicators, receiving recorded and written critiques of the performance from the clinicians. Immediately following each band’s performance, clinicians will give a 25 to 40 minute clinic for the band, discussing and working on specific areas of their performance.��

“The primary focus and commitment of this festival is making this an educational and musical experience for students and directors alike,” said Bob Long, director of jazz studies.

The festival concludes with a short concert by the ���߲����� Jazz Ensemble and guest artist, trombonist David Dickey, which is made possible by a grant from the ���߲����� Arts Society.

The festival begins at 8:00 a.m. with school ensemble performances and concludes with the ���߲����� Jazz Ensemble performing at 6:30 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center. The public is invited to attend this full day of jazz. There is no admission charge for the day.

For more information, contact Bob Long at 816-244-5840 or long@missouriwestern.edu.��

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ���߲����� is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .��

Nov. 12, 2025–The jazz program of the ���߲����� School of Fine Arts will present its annual fall jazz concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 18 in the Potter Theater.��

The concert will feature a performance by the ���߲����� Jazz Ensemble. The theme of the concert is A Little of This and a Little of That. The Jazz Ensemble will showcase classic works by arranger and writer Sammy Nestico, who was a long collaborator with the Count Basie Orchestra. Along with classics, the ensemble will perform newer works by some of today’s contemporary composers, including Ellen Rowe, Professor of Jazz at the University of Michigan, and Kris Berg, international best-selling composer and arranger.

The concert is free and open to the public. Members of the community are invited to an evening of great jazz with the Missouri Western Jazz Program.��

The Jazz Ensemble will also be performing on Saturday, Nov. 22 as part of the North West District MMEA All-District Jazz concert. The concert will also be on the Missouri Western campus in Potter Theater, sharing the stage with the junior high and high school All-District jazz groups. This concert will start at 5:00 p.m.��

For more information on either event, please contact Bob Long, Director of Jazz Studies at 816-244-5840 or via email at long@missouriwestern.edu.

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ���߲����� is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Nov. 12, 2025–���߲�����’s School of Fine Arts will host its Fall 2025 Honor Choir Concert, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Fulkerson Center.

More than 300 middle and high school singers from across northwest Missouri and the greater Kansas City region will join voices for the concert featuring two ensembles: the Middle School Honor Choir, conducted by Jazz Rucker, director of choirs at Staley High School, and the High School Honor Choir, led by Dr. Paul Dease, director of choral activities at ���߲�����.

Rucker is widely respected for his inspiring leadership, innovative rehearsal techniques and ability to bring out the best in young singers. His dynamic energy and artistry make him one of Missouri’s most engaging choral clinicians.

Dr. Dease, director of ���߲�����’s choral program, expressed his enthusiasm for the event.

“This concert represents the very best of what choral music can do—bringing together hundreds of young people from across the region to make something beautiful and meaningful together,” said Dr. Dease. “We’re thrilled to welcome Jazz Rucker to campus and to give these students a day of artistry, inspiration and community through song.”

The event is free and open to the public.

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ���߲����� is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Nov. 5, 2025–The ���߲����� Wind Ensemble will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 in Potter Hall Theatre.��

The concert’s theme is “Momentum: The Energy That Drives Music Forward.” Momentum celebrates the way both music and community are propelled forward. Each work on the program captures movement in a unique way that reflects the spirit of Missouri Western—dynamic, evolving and always moving toward what’s next.

“This program represents the best of what the wind ensemble can offer,” said Dr. Lee Harrelson, Director of Bands at Missouri Western. “Each piece embodies movement, change, and creative energy—qualities that mirror our university’s momentum as we continue to grow and inspire through music.”

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the concert or the ���߲����� Department of Music, please contact Dr. Lee Harrelson at rharrelson1@missouriwestern.edu or 816-305-4894.

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. ���߲����� is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

April 4, 2025–���߲�����’s School of Fine Arts Music Area will host Dr. Michael Parkinson for the Music Convocation at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in Potter Hall room 112.��

The topic of Dr. Parkinson’s hour-long session will be The Entrepreneurial Mindset For Musicians. The focus will be the ever-evolving career options available to students in the arts, including performance, stagecraft, music therapy, recording and producing, musicology promotion, manufacturing, librarianship, entertainment law or administration of arts programs.��

Dr. Parkinson is a KHS America Education Artist and an XO Professional Brass Artist in metro Kansas City. He has served as a performer, conductor, clinician or educator at events such as MUSICFEST USA and the Greater Southwest Music Festival and at schools and festivals across the United States, Poland and China. He has directed ensembles for conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, the International Association for Jazz Education and the National Association for Music Education. Dr. Parkinson has also served as the Artistic Director of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland for 10 years.

Dr. Parkinson previously served as the Director of the School of Music at Middle Tennessee State University. He also served as administrator for the Ohio University School of Music, Webster University Music Department, and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.

This appearance of XO Brass Artist Michael Parkinson has been made possible, in part, through an educational grant from the KHS America Academic Alliance and XO Professional Brass. Michael performs exclusively on XO trumpets.

Special thanks to local sponsor, Lanham Music owner Aaron Old.

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .��

Photo provided by Griffon Media.

Feb. 10, 2025–The music program at ���߲����� will host its 18th Annual MWSU Jazz Festival on Thursday, Feb. 13.��

During the day, 19 school groups will perform in Blum 219 and the Fulkerson Center. Each ensemble performs for the judges, receiving recorded and written critiques of the performance from the clinicians. Immediately following each band’s performance, clinicians will give a 25- to 40-minute clinic for the band, discussing and working on specific areas of their performance.��

Bob Long, MWSU Director of Jazz Studies, said the primary focus of this festival is to be an educational and musical experience for both students and directors.��

Clinicians for this year are Larry Green, Columbia; Bob Harvey, Lee’s Summit; Clarence Smith, Penn Valley Community College; and Kathleen Holeman, Vocal Jazz and Piano, Missouri Western. Adam Larson will present clinics at noon and 6:15 in the Fulkerson Center, which will be open to the public.

The festival will conclude with a short concert by the Missouri Western Jazz Ensemble featuring Adam Larson.

The festival will start at 8 a.m., with the MWSU Jazz Ensemble performing at 7 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center. The event is open to the public and free.��

For more information please contact the Music Area at 816-244-5840 or long@missouriwestern.edu.��

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .��

Dec. 10, 2024–Dr. Derek Jenkins, associate professor of music composition and theory at ���߲�����, received the Marian Anderson Award in Social Justice from The American Prize for his composed piece “Dreams of America” for brass band and still images.��

Dr. Jenkins is a composer whose music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Brazil by the Cheyenne and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras; Fountain City Brass Band; Dresdner Bläserphilharmonie; Czech National Concert Band; Banda Sinfônica Municipal de Hortolândia; Seattle Wind Symphony; U.S. Army Materiel Command Band; Youth Symphony of Kansas City; Mid America Freedom Band; the Carinthia, Joseph Wytko, and Saxophilia Saxophone Quartets; Ensemble for These Times; Songeaters; as well as individual artists, university bands, honor bands and honor orchestras around the country. Jenkins holds degrees from UMKC and Rice University. More information can be found at .�� 

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college and university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings.��

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .��

The Golden Griffon Marching Band performs in front of the Glenn E. Marion Clocktower on Family Day, Sept. 14, 2024. The band will host the 38th annual Tournament of Champions for area high schools on Oct. 8.

Oct. 4, 2024–The Missouri Western’s Golden Griffon Marching Band and the MWSU Music Department present the Tournament of Champions field show competition on Tuesday, Oct. 8, starting at 2 p.m.��

The 38th annual event will be held on the Missouri Western campus at Spratt Stadium, with over 600 students representing 15 high school bands from Missouri and Iowa.��

Admission will be $8 for adults and $5 for seniors. Children 12 and under are free. Note, there will not be a card reader on site, so please plan accordingly. Concessions will be open for those wanting refreshments.

The schedule of participating schools in as follows:

• 2 p.m. South Harrison High School (1A)
• 2:15 p.m. Albany High School (1A)
• 2:30 p.m. Benton High School (1A)
• 2:45 p.m. Sherwood High School (1A)
• 3 p.m. Lathrop High School (1A)
• 3:15 p.m. Lafayette County High School (1A)
• 3:30 p.m. Lawson High School (1A)
• 3:45 p.m. Excelsior Springs High School (1A)
• 4 p.m. Lafayette High School (1A)
• 4:45 p.m. Savannah High School (2A)
• 5 p.m. Raytown High School (2A)
• 5:30 p.m. Cameron High School (3A)
• 5:45 p.m. Lewis High School (3A)
• 6:15 p.m. Central High School (4A)
• 6:30 p.m. Platte County High School (4A)

Awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m.

All members of the community are encouraged to attend and support the outstanding groups as they perform.

For more information please contact Bob Long at 816-244-5840, or long@missouriwestern.edu.

���߲����� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

April 12, 2024–The St. Joseph Symphony presents The Future’s So Bright, a musical performance featuring two ���߲����� students,  at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20 at the Missouri Theater, 717 Edmond Street in St. Joseph.

Student performers include aria and concerto contest winners Sara Poet, senior music major from St. Joseph, and David Welter, junior music major from St. Joseph.��

Sara Poet, soprano, will sing, “Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well” from HMS Pinafore. David Welter, trombone, will play “Concerto for Trombone,” by Rimsky-Korsakov.��

The symphony will conclude the concert with “The Ukrainian,” Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2.

Public social time will follow the concert at Felix Street Gourmet, located at 8th and Felix.

Ticket prices range from $17-45, with students receiving half-price tickets. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the St. Joseph Symphony website at .

News release written by Patty Lashbrook, sophomore convergent journalism and public relations major.