The temperature may be falling, but the jazz is heating up backstage at the Rozsa Center. Don’t miss the first jazz performance of the season this Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25.
Friday, the R&D Big Band — directed by legendary Michigan Tech Professor Emeritus Mike Irish — joins JazTec, Michigan Tech’s top small jazz group, for an intimate concert performed backstage at the Rozsa. They will also be joined by the Video Game Music Ensemble, a student-led ensemble dedicated to arranging and performing music from popular video games.
On Saturday, the Workshop Brass Band kicks things off with some high-energy New Orleans brass band music. Then join the Jazz Lab Band, directed by Drew Kilpela, for an exciting night of big band compositions by Michigan-born trumpeter, composer and arranger Thad Jones.
Each evening provides the perfect opportunity for a fall night out. Let the autumn leaves dazzle your eyes by day — then let Michigan Tech Jazz dazzle your ears after dark!
Backstage Jazz: Big Bands and B-Sides — Michigan Tech Jazz
Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Tech Music Series
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Michael Tarske is a senior electrical engineering technology major, but he’s also a talented trumpeter and arranger minoring in jazz studies during his time at Michigan Tech University.
Tarske has played in just about every instrumental ensemble at MTU. He has worn stripes with the Huskies Pep Band and tuxedos with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, and has screamed high notes with the Jazz Lab Band and the Workshop Brass Band.
This past weekend, Tarske made the leap to the professional level after being called to play trumpet with the Chicago-based Four Star Brass Band. The gig? Wrigley Field, playing for the Chicago Cubs.
Fans of the Cubs heard Tarske’s high notes ring through the stadium as part of the band’s performance before and after the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, August 17.
MTU’s Jazz Studies program and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts as a whole would like to congratulate Michael on this milestone!
Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Three students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include The Jazz Lab Band’s drummer Nico Chua, Trombonist from the Workshop Brass Band Ethan Deur, and Tenor Saxophonist from the R&D Jazz Band (who also plays bass in the Jazz Lab Band) Aidan Conrade.
These students all showed leadership, dedication, and excellence, this year. We are grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years.
Nico is a second year mechanical engineering major. He has been playing instruments since he was very young and has played drums for over a decade now. He got into the Lab Band at Michigan Tech as a first year and continues to play in this group as well as a few groups with other Tech students.
Ethan Deur is a fifth year Human Factors major and has spent all five of those years as a part of the Workshop Brass Band. He’s been playing trombone for almost 14 years, and would love to play more in the future. Outside of music, his hobbies include playing video games and spending time with his friends.
Aidan Conrade is a graduating Sound Design major with a minor in Music Composition. They have been participating in the MTU Jazz department and working on projects with the Visual and Performing Arts department for five years now. Since joining music at Tech, they have played in every ensemble in the Jazz department and have helped run the Video Game Music Ensemble, a fully student-led group of musicians who get together weekly in campus to arrange their own favorite game music to play together. In their free time, if they’re not doing something music related they are exploring the outdoors or working on creative projects!
On May 1-15, 2024 the members of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir participated in a successful tour of New Zealand. They traveled through Auckland, Rotorua, Hamilton, Wellington, Hanmer Springs, Christchurch, Queenstown, and Dunedin; traveling from the far north to the far south of the country. They were fortunate to have beautiful weather for the trip, with a lot of sunshine and temperatures much like we experience now in the Keweenaw. 58 individuals traveled in the group: 47 performers (including the conductor and pianist) and 11 friends. The youngest choir member was 16 years old and the oldest was 82 years old. Travelers included 17 Michigan Tech students, 2 Houghton HS students (one will be a freshman at Tech in the fall), 6 faculty, 4 retired faculty/staff, 7 choir alumni, and 22 community members.
The choir performed to audiences in lovely venues in each of the major cities. Proceeds from each concert were donated to local charities:
Auckland: St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican Church
Hamilton: Exchange with the Hamilton Civic Choir (held on the campus of the University of Waikato)
Wellington: St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church
Christchurch: The Philip Carter Family Concert Hall at The Piano
Dunedin: St. Paul’s Cathedral (Anglican)
Highlights of the tour included visiting the extinct caldera of Mt. Eden (Maungawhau) in Auckland, exploring Hobbiton (near Rotorua), crossing the Cook Strait, seeing the Southern Lights in Christchurch, feeling the mountain air in Hanmer Springs and Queenstown. The choir experienced beautiful vistas, wonderful food, welcoming audiences, and warm sunshine.
Director Jared Anderson said, “I am so proud of how the choir performed in each concert on the tour. They sang with great heart and really represented the university well to each audience. I am also especially grateful for the ways that the members of the choir remained positive through long travel days and the usual obstacles experienced in a travel group of this size. It is a trip that will remain in our memory for a long time. I am also grateful for the support of the College of Sciences and Arts and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts along with many donors who helped to underwrite some the expenses of the trip for the students. Through donor generosity, each student received significant support that was applied to their travel fee. We look forward to traveling again in the future.”
Members of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir perform in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Lake Pukaki with Mount Cook (highest point in New Zealand) in the background.
A view of the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) from downtown Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Michigan Tech Concert Choir rehearses for a performance at The Piano in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Members of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir and the Hamilton Civic Choir.
Members of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir at Waiotapu (Rotorua, NZ)
Bilbo Baggins’ home at the movie set for The Hobbit.
Michigan Tech Concert Choir and audience at St. Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland, NZ.
Michigan Tech Concert Choir at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Students from the Michigan Tech Concert Choir pose atop Maungawhau in Auckland, New Zealand.
Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Two students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include one of the drummers from R&D Jazz Band, Eira Techtmann, and The Jazz Lab Band’s lead trumpeter Michael Tarske.
These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years.
Eira is a drummer, percussionist, and videographer/photographer for Michigan Technological University. They play in a total of 5 bands, including the R and D Jazz Band and Video Game Jazz Ensemble. With drumming influences from Jojo Mayer, Max Roach, and JD Beck, they try to play with a mix of traditional and new jazz whenever they can.
Michael Tarske is a Trumpeter that has been playing Jazz since High School. At Michigan Tech he is an Electrical Engineering Technology major with interest in automation. He started his music journey at Tech by sitting in on an R&D Big Band rehearsal and quickly found interest in the Jazz program. Regardless of where the future takes him, Michael plans to keep Jazz music a prominent part of his life.
by Michigan Tech Music | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Tech Choirs, conducted by Jared Anderson (Visual and Performing Arts), will close the 2023/2024 Rozsa Season tomorrow (April 20) at 7:30 p.m. with the spectacular Great Lakes premiere — and second performance ever — of Dwight Bigler’s “Mosaic for Earth.”
Over 150 local musicians will gather on the Rozsa stage for this awe-inspiring performance by the KSO and Michigan Tech Choirs. The concert will also feature the Houghton Area Children’s Chorus, prepared by Hillary Arundel, and guest soloists Soren Schmidt, Lara Neves, Kathryn Summersett and Drake Dantzler.
Throughout the 100-minute concert, audiences can expect to be swept away by breathtaking visual scenes designed to accompany the music. Together, they showcase the beauty of our planet and our responsibility to protect it.
Concert Details:
- What: “Mosaic for Earth” Presented by Michigan Tech Music
- Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Tech Choirs
- When: Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
- Tickets: Pay As You’re Able ($20 full ticket fee). Student Rush included with Experience Tech fee. Get tickets.
Libby Meyer, Teaching Professor in Visual and Performing Arts was recently featured in an article written by Garrett Schumann for Arts Midwest about musicians in Michigan working and creating in rural locations.
The article can be found here: https://artsmidwest.org/rural-resonances-three-michigan-musicians-embrace-place-in-their-practice/
Hard hats are required — and provided — to hear this exciting new music by contemporary composers in the Quincy Mine hoist building. This annual sell-out show will contain some of the best music you haven’t heard yet! View Digital Program in advance.
Here is this year’s lineup:
THURSDAY
Pat Booth, saxophone
conScience: Michigan Tech Chamber Singers
Adam Hall, cello
Adam Meckler, trumpet
Stephen Rush, piano
FRIDAY
conScience: Michigan Tech Chamber Singers
Susie Byykkonen, flute
Michael Christianson, tuba
Adam Hall, cello
Stephen Rush, piano
CONTENT GUIDANCE | instrumental and vocal new music; hard hats required
PRESENTER | Michigan Tech Music
VENUE | Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House
DURATION | Approx. 45 min
TICKETS | Pay As You’re Able ($20 Full Ticket Fee) What is this?
SEATING | General Admission
About
Michigan Tech Music has a long history of high-quality music ensembles open to students from all majors on campus. Its composition program, bands, orchestra, jazz, and choral ensembles expose students, faculty, and the community to the artistic and communicative values of music and the power it has to change lives. Each group performs regularly in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and in venues in the community.
Living composers, unusual instruments, and unique spaces are all at the forefront of the bold, delightful, and innovative experiences the Keweenaw has come to expect from New Music at Michigan Tech. Led by Dr. Libby Meyer, New Music invites you to experience concerts, workshops, speaking events, and masterclasses by some of the greatest living composers and classical musicians.
Libby Meyer is a composer whose work reflects the natural rhythms and patterns of the world around her. Her music, including chamber, orchestral, choral, wind symphony, film, dance and theater, has been commissioned and performed throughout the United States. An avid equestrian, kayaker and distance runner, Libby currently resides in Michigan’s beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula with her husband Evan, a Pyrenees Mountain dog, a secretive cat, and thousands of honeybees. She holds a DMA in Composition from Northwestern University and is a Teaching Professor in Music Theory/Composition at Michigan Tech University. Listen to recordings of Libby’s work.
Sponsors
Support for this event provided by the Janet Locatelli Fund, the Visual and Performing Arts Department, and its supporters. View current donors to the Visual and Performing Arts Department.
Pay As You’re Able Ticketing
The Visual and Performing Arts Department believes that the foundation of an equitable and inclusive arts culture requires making events financially accessible to all. So, we are offering Pay as You’re Able ticketing for all of our Michigan Tech Music and Michigan Tech Theatre events. Learn more.
Accessibility
Accessible Parking
There are accessible parking spaces in the Quincy Mine parking lot.
Accessible Entry
The 1984 Hoist House is accessible by an ADA-compliant ramp, and a lift is available to access the 1918 Hoist House, where the performances will take place.
Print and Digital Programs
Digital Program
The full program will be available online at least one day in advance for all devices and is compatible with most screen readers.
Limited Print Program
Print programs containing limited show information will be available at the door.
Large-Print Program
A large-print version of the limited print program is available in advance online. A limited quantity is printed and available at the door.
Additional Information
Box Office Information
Accessibility Services
Parking Information
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by Kendall Belopavlovich, Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture
In October’s episode of “IPEC Presents,” our guest and Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) executive committee member Libby Meyer (VPA) discusses her work as a composer, her guilty pleasure musical choices, and what it means to co-create with the world around us.
Meyer is a dynamic, insightful and well-rounded artist whose perspective on the world inspires us to deepen our relationships — and to liberate our idea of stealing to create.
Now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listen now.
Imagination. Creativity. Local and world histories. Art. Theatre. Music. Design. Michigan Tech’s first arts-focused study abroad is an immersive experience. Students from many campus majors are taking part: from Theatre and Sound Design, Humanities, and Chemistry, to Biomedical and Environmental Engineering. The trip focuses on art, theatre, architecture, and culture, with a special emphasis on the Prague Quadrennial, one of the largest theatre design events in the world. Students explore world heritage sites, study works of art in museums and galleries, attend performances, and reflect on local/global history, culture, and connection. The trip is open to all majors and is designed for students whose interests benefit from creativity and new perspectives – in other words, everyone. Follow us on the trip blog and on Instagram.
