HFCC presents 23rd annual Autumn Jazz Concert

HFCC presents 23rd Annual Autumn Jazz Concert

The Fine Arts and Fitness Division at Henry Ford Community College will present the 23rd annual Autumn Jazz Concert on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. at Stout Middle School’s Auditorium, located at 18500 Oakwood Blvd. near Rotunda Rd. in Dearborn. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. For advance tickets, call 313-845-6470 by Friday, Nov. 10. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.

The concert will feature performances by the Henry Ford Big Band, Blue Fusion (vocal jazz), Studio 110 (Big Band jazz) and Midnight Blue (vocal jazz).

'This concert is performed to thank our scholarship donors for the money they have donated,' stated Rick Goward of Dearborn, associate dean of the HFCC Fine Arts and Fitness Division and director of bands at HFCC. 'A portion of the admission money goes to performance expenses and the scholarship funds for the Fine Arts and Fitness Division.'

Directed by Goward, the HFCC Big Band has played at more than 750 concerts, dances and convention performances since 1983. The band performed at the 2005 and 2001 Presidential Inauguration festivities in Washington, D.C. The group is the only band – professional or amateur – to appear at the Ford Detroit Jazz Festival for 24 consecutive years. The Big Band also joined with Evergreen Blues for a 2002 concert tour in Hawaii.

The Big Band also has made prestigious concert appearances at Carnegie Hall, New York (1992 and 1989) and at many international jazz festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland (1998, 1994, 1990, 1988, and 1985), Jazz Vienne in France (1998) and the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands (1990). The musicians have shared the concert stage with Maynard Ferguson (1998 and 1993) and the Count Basie Orchestra (1992).

Directed by HFCC vocal music instructor G. Kevin Dewey of Dearborn, Blue Fusion performs a variety of classic and contemporary vocal jazz, featuring both ‘a cappella and accompanied selections. Blue Fusion traveled to Chicago in 2003 with Studio 110 and joined the HFCC at the 2003 Ford Detroit Jazz Festival. The group consists of vocalists and instrumentalists.

Directed by HFCC music instructor Randall Knight of Canton, the Studio 110 Jazz Orchestra performs a wide selection of jazz favorites at many Detroit-area events. Its members range from recent high school graduates to retirees. Studio 110 often shares the stage with Blue Fusion, and the two groups traveled to Chicago for a concert tour in 2003.

Midnight Blue, directed by Dewey, performs vocal jazz. Midnight Blue joined with the HFCC Big Band in January 2005 for the Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. and at the 2005 Ford Detroit Jazz Festival.

'We have a lot of musicians who are eager for the opportunity to show their colleagues and friends what they can do,' Knight commented.

For more information about HFCC music, please contact Rick Goward at 313-845-6470 or email rgoward@hfcc.edu. For more information about HFCC, log onto www.hfcc.edu.

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