![2021 Jazz Festival](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1280x445-header-free-events.jpg)
Free to Middle, High School, & Adult Students
2021 Jazz Festival
Register today for this free online festival
Middle school, high school, college, & adult jazz students are invited to develop their skill alongside nationally recognized jazz artists & WCM Jazz & Contemporary Music faculty members during this free, online festival.
Spots are limited, so be sure to secure yours today!
LATE REGISTRATION – Email KESTY@WCMUSIC.ORG MEET OUR GUEST ARTISTS & FACULTY
Workshops & activity topics include:
- Beginner and Advanced Jazz Improvisation
- World Music, Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, and Indian Rhythm Styles
- Panel Discussion of Women in Jazz
- Jazz Theory, Ear Training, and Nomenclature
- Digital Music Production and Songwriting
- AND MORE!
Ages: Middle, High School, College & Adult Students
Dates: Friday, April 30 from 1:00pm – 8:30pm | Saturday, May 1 from 10:00am-7:00pm. All festival times are listed in Central Standard Time (CST).
Location: The entire festival will be conducted over Zoom.
Costs: FREE
Application Deadline: Friday, April 28, 2021
Contact: Please email Krystal Esty at kesty@wcmusic.org with any questions or concerns.
2021 Jazz Festival Online Workshops Preview
![Women in Jazz Panel, featuring Katie Ernst](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/250x250-Katie-Ernst.png)
Women in Jazz Panel, featuring Katie Ernst
Panelists: Katie Ernst, Hannah Johnson, Jeanne Marie Stalteri, Marcya Daneille, Rosemary Walzer
Join us for a panel discussion about the representation of women and the gender dynamics of jazz, featuring bassist, Katie Ernst, drummer, Hannah Johnson, vocalist, Marcya McReynolds, saxophonist, Jeanne Marie Stalteri, and saxophonist Rosemary Walzer. This engaging conversation will consider some of the experiences of gender disparity in the jazz world and how we work toward a more inclusive future, including what it means to be a good ally.![Klassnotes: Musicality Comes First – Songwriting in the Digital Age](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/250x250-Klassik.png)
Klassnotes: Musicality Comes First – Songwriting in the Digital Age
Presenters: Klassik
Klassik shares his process, ideas, and energy with you as we learn how to bring musicality to the forefront while writing music. Instrumental music, electronic music, and vocal music all come from the heart. Klassik will show us how he connects our Jazz roots to digital technology, so they flow in harmony during the creative process.![Music & Mental Health](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/250x250-Music-Mental-Health.png)
Music & Mental Health
Presenters: Hannah Johnson & Jeanne Marie Stalteri
Is focusing on mental health a waste of time? Should mental health have a place in your musical development? Join Hannah and Jeanne Marie to break down the stigma and find out why caring for your mental wellness is essential as a musician. Bring a cup of tea and an open mind to discover practices that avoid negative musical behaviors!![Finding Your Career Path in Music: A Panel](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/250x250-Careers-in-music-e1623790649277.png)
Finding Your Career Path in Music: A Panel
Panelists: Kevin Farinelli, Taylor Haun & Britney Freeman-Farr
The music industry is a unique ecosystem of performers, teachers, practitioners, healers, and innovators. Learn from three industry professionals about their musical path to Music Therapy, Music Technology, and Music Performance & Education.![Milwaukee Jazz Panel](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/250x250-Milwaukee-Jazz-1.png)
Milwaukee Jazz Panel
Panelists: Joey Grihalva, Jamie Breiwick, & Adekola Adedapo
Our city of Milwaukee has a rich history of Jazz and creative music. Our panel discussion will feature the author and contributors of the Images of America book, Milwaukee Jazz. We’ll discuss venues past and present, shed light on local legends, and share stories of memorable performances. Bring your ears and your questions for a lively conversation!Meet our Jazz Festival Guest Artists
Wendel Patrick
Music Producer | Turntablist
Background
Wendel Patrick has been referred to as “David Foster Wallace reincarnated as a sound engineer” by Urbanite Magazine and as “wildly talented” by the Baltimore Sun. He has been referred to by XLR8R magazine as “a hip-hop producer that could easily make any fan of Squarepusher, Boards of Canada, or Madlib flip out.” The alter-ego of classical and jazz pianist Kevin Gift, Wendel Patrick has made a name for himself internationally as a music producer of remarkable vision, skill and talent. His five albums: Sound, Forthcoming, JDWP, Passage, and Travel were all produced without the use of sampling, with Patrick playing every note of every instrument. What is perhaps most astounding and perplexing to listeners is that there are actually no instruments…he crafts all of the instruments, and plays every note, electronically.
Equally at home performing on stage with his band, behind two turntables, beatboxing, improvising, or playing a Mozart Concerto on stage with orchestra, Wendel Patrick has toured Europe on several occasions and performed throughout the world with renowned spoken word artist and poet Ursula Rucker (The Roots, 4 Hero). In 2014, Wendel Patrick traveled to Australia as a guest lecturer, speaking about music production and entrepreneurship in the arts at The Australian Institute of Music in both Sydney and Melbourne. In 2011, Wendel Patrick co- founded the Baltimore Boom Bap Society, with Erik Spangler (DJ Dubble8) that performs monthly improvised hip hop shows with hand picked musicians and emcees. The group’s collaborative performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra of Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale was recently named “Best Mesmerizing Performance of 2016” by Baltimore Magazine. Wendel Patrick’s music has also been heard across the country on NPR stations, most notably on Out of the Blocks, an award winning radio documentary program he co-produces with radio producer Aaron Henkin for NPR affiliate WYPR that has been featured by the Third Coast International Audio Festival and Hearing Voices as well as on the BBC. Recent performances included a new collaboration between the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Boom Bap Society, on which Patrick’s orchestral compositions were performed. An avid photographer and videographer, his photography has been exhibited in several art galleries including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Ralph Arnold Gallery in Chicago. Patrick shoots all of the accompanying documentary photography and videography for Out of the Blocks.
Wendel Patrick/Kevin Gift majored in both music and political science at Emory University and earned his M.M. in Piano Performance as a scholarship student at the Northwestern University School of Music in Evanston Illinois. Patrick is a winner of the 2015 Baker Artist Awards’ Mary Sawyers Baker grand prize and was a member of the faculty at Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland from 2001 to 2013 teaching piano, introduction to music theory, music history and electronic music production. He has taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art and at Loyola University Chicago where he was Department of Fine and Performing Arts Guest Artist- in-Residence for 2019.
Wendel Patrick is currently a professor at The Peabody Music Conservatory – Johns Hopkins University where he teaches “Hip Hop Music Production: History and Practice”, the first course of its kind to be taught at a major traditional music conservatory anywhere in the United States. He has recently been named as the new host of “Artworks” on Maryland Public Television/PBS.
Meet WCM’s Jazz & Contemporary Music Faculty
![Hannah Johnson](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/250x250-HAnnah-Johnson.png)
View Bio
Hannah Johnson
Percussion, Jazz & Contemporary Music, Choir, Jazz & Contemporary Music Faculty Band![Aaron Van Oudenallen](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/agardner.png)
View Bio
Aaron Van Oudenallen
Saxophone, Flute, Jazz & Contemporary Music, Jazz & Contemporary Music Faculty Band![Mitchell Shiner](https://wcmprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/250x250-mitch-shiner.jpg)
View Bio
Mitchell Shiner
Chair, Jazz & Contemporary Music
Percussion, Jazz & Contemporary Music, Jazz & Contemporary Music Faculty BandHannah Johnson
Education
- Bachelor of Music, Jazz Studies | Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Background
- Joined the Conservatory faculty in January 2019.
- Teaches and plays various styles of music on the drum set, specializing in jazz.
- Plays with her modern jazz quartet in the Milwaukee area.
- Featured as an instructor for the Vic Firth video series “Inside the Teaching Studio” entitled How to Sound Like Elvin Jones.
- Has played with musicians such as Leni Stern, Ingrid Jensen, and Jamie Baum.
- Enjoys teaching the bucket drumming and world percussion classes through the Conservatory Connections program, as well as private percussion lessons.
Aaron Van Oudenallen
Education
- Berklee College of Music
Background
- WCM faculty member since 2005.
- Moved back to his roots in Milwaukee after 10 years of living in New York and touring and recording with the band ulu.
- Has played and recorded with many bands and artists, including De La Buena, Choir Fight, Jamie Breiwick, Steve Peplin, The Static Chicken, Tristan Royalty Squad, The Extra Crispy Brass Band, The Soul Trio, The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Bennet.
Johnny Padilla
Education
- Miami Central High School
Background
Why did you choose to work at WCM?
Job Offer from WCM.
What year did you start working at WCM?
2018
Describe a musical experience or teacher that had a positive impact on you.
Making the All-State Band in Florida.
Mitchell Shiner
Chair, Jazz & Contemporary Music
Education
- Bachelor of Music, Emphasis in Jazz Studies | Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
- Performer’s Certificate for Senior Recital
Background
- WCM faculty member since 2016.
- Began playing drums at age eight and has been studying percussion since age nine.
- Co-leads tour-de-force fusion group, “Match Stick,” which released a self-titled album in 2019.
- Released his debut CD, “FLY!”, in 2014, which invites listeners on a musical journey of original compositions and out-of-the-box arrangements for 20-piece big band.
- Featured clinician for the 2015 Summerfest Big Band Camp, along with Curt Hanrahan and Mike Steinel.
- Conducted masterclasses at UW-Parkside, University of Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Park Tudor School, and Nicolet High School.
- Teaches percussion at several Milwaukee public schools through the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music’s Conservatory Connections program.
Rosemary McGee Walzer
Education
- Master of Music, Instrumental Conducting – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Bachelor of Music, Music Education – Heidelberg University
Background
Why did you choose to work at WCM?
WCM has a long-standing tradition of nurturing musical talent and promoting artistic excellence. I wanted to be surrounded by students and faculty who share my love for music and also want to create an inspiring and dynamic learning environment.
What year did you start working at WCM?
2019
Describe a musical experience or teacher that had a positive impact on you.
One of my favorite teachers always encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and open up to new musical experiences.