Festival Date
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Entering its 47th year, the Larry McWilliams Dimensions in Jazz Festival attracts over 35 high school jazz bands annually. The bands participate in jazz band and combo competitions as well as clinics. The day ends with an evening concert featuring the two winning bands from the day’s competition and the Ball State Jazz Lab Ensemble with special guest artists. Ball State Jazz faculty and invited guests present clinics and judge the competitions.
Ingrid Jensen, Guest Artist
Ingrid Jensen has been hailed as one of the most gifted trumpeters of her generation. As a sought-out teacher, collaborator, and soloist, it is easy to see why the New York Times calls her “as versatile as she is vigorous.” After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1989, Jensen became the youngest professor in the history of the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria. In the 1990s, she recorded three highly acclaimed CDs for the ENJA record label, becoming one of the most in- demand trumpet players on the global jazz scene. Settling in New York City, she joined the innovative jazz orchestras of Maria Schneider (1994-2012) and Darcy James Argue (2002-present). She has performed with a multi-generational cast of jazz legends ranging from Clark Terry to Esperanza Spalding. Jensen has also performed alongside British R&B artist Corrine Bailey Rae on Saturday Night Live and recorded with Canadian pop icon Sarah McLachlan. As a dedicated jazz educator, Jensen has taught trumpet at the University of Michigan and Peabody Conservatory. Learn more.
Registration
If you’d like your high school jazz band to participate in the festival, please email Mark Buselli, director of jazz studies at Ball State University.