June Jazz to feature Morgan James and the Elmhurst University Jazz Band on June 15
Singer and songwriter Morgan James, performing with the Elmhurst University Jazz Band, will headline the university's 28th annual June Jazz concert on Saturday, June 15.
This outdoor event is free and open to the public. All are invited to bring their lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to the concert, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on the mall of Elmhurst University’s arboretum campus, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. Guests are welcome to come early and enjoy this musical celebration of summer.
Morgan James is a New York-based soul singer, songwriter and Broadway actress. After graduating from the Juilliard School with a classical music degree and then performing in the original companies of five Broadway productions, James began writing and recording her own music. Meeting her mentor Berry Gordy Jr. led to a record deal at Epic Records, where she recorded and released her solo album “Hunter” in 2014. Over the past several years, James has established herself as a touring powerhouse, playing with her own band and symphony orchestras all over the world. Her latest album, “Nobody’s Fool,” is a love letter to 1990s R&B. The Wall Street Journal calls James “the most promising young vocalist to come along so far this century.”
The acclaimed Elmhurst University Jazz Band has performed across the country and around the world, appearing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival and the Jak Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. The band has toured Europe at the invitation of the U.S. State Department and, closer to home, performed several times around the Midwest with legendary trumpeter Doc Severinsen.
The band also accompanied Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park. And in 2014, the Jazz Band was the winner of DownBeat magazine’s Student Music Award in the Large Jazz Ensemble category for undergraduate institutions.
With access to some of the best musicians in the business, students in the jazz band gain valuable insights and a professional edge as they prepare for careers and whatever comes next.
For information, visit elmhurst.edu/JuneJazz or call (630) 617-3611.
June Jazz is presented by Elmhurst University and PNC Bank, with promotional support provided by 90.9-FM WDCB.