USU Alumni Band July 17: Jazz Meets Classical

For its third performance of the summer, the Utah State University Alumni Band will play a mix of jazz and classical music with special guests Lynn Maxine Rosen, violin; Tad Calcara, clarinet; and The Larry Smith Jazz Kicks Big Band.

The Alumni Band will play selections from Gershwin, Dvorak, Huckeby and more at the July 17 concert.

Lynn Maxine Rosen, violinist with the Utah Symphony, will join the band on Sarasate/Smith’s Zigeunerweisen. Rosen plays on an Italian violin made in 1830. She currently chairs the Kol Ami Concert Series in Salt Lake City.

Tad Calcara, principal clarinet in the Utah Symphony, will perform with the Larry Smith Jazz Kicks Big Band during the Alumni Band’s “intermission” break. Calcara has been principal clarinet since 1999. He also leads the New Deal Swing Band, which specializes in classic jazz and swing from the 1930s and 40s.

“Tad is a clarinet virtuoso and will be performing George Gershwin numbers with the Alumni Band and Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw classics with the Kicks Band,” said Larry Smith, leader of the Jazz Kicks Big Band and former director of jazz studies in the Caine College of the Arts at USU. “Tad soloed with our bands several years ago and gave a superlative performance. We’ll be playing a new music program at this concert.”

Calcara will also perform a Gershwin Medley and Laseroms’ Claribelle with the Alumni Band.

“Bring a lawn chair and join us for this exciting evening of classic American music,” Smith said.

Other Alumni Band concerts will be held July 31 and Aug. 7. Performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Concerts are held on the USU Quad but in case of inclement weather, performances move to the Morgan Theatre in the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU’s Logan campus.

For more information, call 435-797-8022 or see the Caine College’s website.

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Writer and contact: Whitney Schulte, 435-797-9203, whitney.schulte@usu.edu