Award-winning pianist to perform at annual Western Invitational Jazz Fest

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Edward Simon, pianist/composer and visiting artist in residence at Western Michigan University since 2012, is the distinguished artist for the 36th annual Western Invitational Jazz Festival. He will perform as part of the festival's opening concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 11, as well as during the closing concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12. Both concerts will take place in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

Tickets for each concert are $15 general admission and $5 for students, and are available from Miller Auditorium online or by calling (269) 387-2300 or (800) 228-9858.

In the opening concert, Simon will perform with members of the jazz faculty in duo, trio, quartet and quintet settings. The concert exclusively features compositions and arrangements of Simon.

The 36th annual Western Invitational Jazz Festival continues the following day with several hundred high school jazz students from throughout the Midwest performing.

The closing concert will feature Simon as a soloist with the WMU Jazz Orchestra and Advanced Jazz Ensemble. The concert opens with the winning high school combo and big band selected from the hundreds of high school jazz students who perform throughout the day.

Edward Simon

Simon, a multiple Grammy Award winner and founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective, is at the forefront of fusing jazz, Latin, and chamber music. He is the recipient of many of the most prestigious awards and prizes in jazz and composition.

For more information about the concert, visit wmich.edu/music or call (269) 387-4667.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.