NSU Jazz Ensemble headlines 2012 Oklahoma Convention

(Tahlequah, Okla.) Northeastern State Universitys award-winning Jazz Ensemble was selected to perform at the Oklahoma Music Educators Association convention in 2012.

The OMEA convention is Jan. 18-21 at the Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center (West Seventh Street and South Houston Avenue). The Jazz Ensemble performs Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. in the Buckingham Room of the Doubletree Hotel, 616 W. Seventh St. in Tulsa.

We will be the only university jazz ensemble to perform at the convention, said Dr. Tommy Poole, director of jazz studies. The ensemble will give a concert of about 30 minutes. It is an honor because it is a competitive process.

The selection procedure began in June with Oklahoma colleges submitting recordings of their jazz ensembles for consideration. Poole submitted tracks from the NSU ensembles performance with Terell Stafford. The legendary trumpeter visited Tahlequah for NSUs 44th annual Green Country Jazz Festival on March 6-7.

The band played with so much energy that night we played with Terell, Poole said. Obviously it impressed the judges who select the convention ensembles.

Poole said the OMEA concert is a recruiting opportunity for the NSU music department.

There will be a lot of high school and junior high band directors at the convention, he said. High school honor bands will also perform. So the creme de la creme of music instructors and players will attend this convention. Being chosen for this event and delivering a great performance can encourage instructors to suggest NSU as an option for higher education to their students. We also have an opportunity to make an impression on some of the best high school musicians in Oklahoma.

The NSU Jazz Ensemble includes 18 musicians and is the premier instrumental performing group of the NSU jazz program. Students are selected by audition for placement in the group each semester. The instrumentation consists of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, bass, piano, drums and guitar.