NSU to hold the 56th Annual Green Country Jazz Festival featuring Miguel Zenón

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The annual Green Country Jazz Festival is set to return March 5-6, 2023.

The festival will begin on March 5 at 8 p.m. with the Judges Jam in the NSU Jazz Lab located in downtown Tahlequah.

Grammy-nominated musician Miguel Zenón will perform alongside Mike Cameron, a visiting professor of jazz studies at NSU, and three judges from Oklahoma City. The three judges are guitarist Mitch Bell, bassist Rei Bowen and drummer Dave Bowen.

The festival continues all day on March 6 in the Center for the Performing Arts. High school performances begin at 9 a.m. Organizers expect 15 area high school bands to participate for different awards, including “Best Ensemble” and “Outstanding Soloist.”

The festival will conclude with a final concert featuring Zenón and the NSU Jazz Ensemble will take place at 7 p.m.

Zenón is also a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant.” He is best known for his unique compositional synthesis of modern jazz with folk music from his native home of Puerto Rico. Zenón will be performing music from his 15 albums at the festival.

Tickets for the 56th Annual Green Country Jazz Festival are $5 for groups of 12 or more, $5 for students and seniors, $10 for general admission.

The Green Country Jazz Festival began in 1967 and has since brought many world-renowned artists to the Tahlequah area. It is one of the country’s longest-running jazz festivals. NSU’s Department of Music invites students and members of the community to attend.

For more information, call 918-456-4602 or visit nsumusic.com.