Trumpet Virtuoso Byron Stripling to Play with USU Jazz Bands

The jazz bands at Utah State University’s Caine School of the Arts and Department of Music host trumpet sensation Byron Stripling at their final concert of the year, Wednesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Performance Hall (approximately 1090 E. 675 North, Logan) on the USU campus.

Tickets are $5 for the public and free for USU students with valid ID and are available by calling the Caine School of the Arts Box Office, (435) 797-8022, at the box office’s online location or at the door.

 

“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Byron Stripling perform and teach on many occasions,” said USU’s Director of Jazz Studies Jon Gudmundson. “This man has a way of making you want to run to the practice room — he is very, very inspiring.

 

While Stripling’s success as a trumpeter in the commercial world is steller, his jazz credentials are even more impressive, Gudmundson said.

 

Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson and Buck Clayton, in addition to the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the GRP All Star Big Band.

 

As a soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being a featured soloist on the PBS television special “Evening at Pops” with conductors John Williams and Lockhart.

 

Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

 

The concert at USU features the USU Jazz Orchestra, led by Gudmundson, the USU Jazz Ensemble, led by Todd Fallis, and a third big band, the All Northern Jazz Band. The latter is an all-star big band led by Fallis and made up of the finest jazz players drawn from Logan, Sky View, Mountain Crest, Box Elder and Bear River high schools.

 

“Todd Fallis started this group a year ago, and it is amazing what he and these talented high school musicians have put together,” Gudmundson said. “All three bands will have the opportunity to perform with the electrifying Byron Stripling. This will be a night to remember.”

 

 

Writer: Sally Okelberry (435) 797-1500, sally.okelberry@usu.edu
Contact: Jon Gudmundson, jon.gudmundson@usu.edu