There are now four jazz ensembles at Ithaca College. The premier ensemble is the Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble which rehearses Tuesday and Thursday evenings and is led by jazz studies director Mike Titlebaum. Two of the other groups are big bands, and there is also one Supersax-style group comprised of five saxophones with rhythm section. All the groups perform at least one Ford Hall concert per semester and also perform elsewhere on campus and in the community. All Ithaca College students regardless of major are permitted to audition for the jazz ensembles.
Some of the guest artists featured with the bands over the years are Marian McPartland, Walter White, Thad Jones, Peter Leitch, Phil Woods, John Stowell, Andy LaVerne, Bob Sneider, Gary Smulyan, Steve Wilson, Jeff Ballard, Stephanie Nakasian, Tom Harrell, Hal Galper, Marvin Stamm, and many others. In the 2008-9 school year, guest artists included jazz trumpet artist and composer John Sneider, Eastman School of Music Professor Bill Dobbins, world-renowned bassist and educator Chuck Israels, former Ithaca College jazz director Steve Brown, and New York-based freelance trumpet artist Rick Henly.
The Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble announces the first annual Jazz Ensemble Composition Contest. The contest has been created to encourage the composition and performance of the highest possible quality of jazz ensemble literature. Therefore, the winner of the contest will be awarded a cash prize of $500 and the piece will be published by eJazzLines in their series "Jazz Lines Publications." The members of the IC Jazz Ensemble will help judge the contest.
To view the complete set of rules and download the entry form, please see:
http://www.ithaca.edu/music/ensembles/jazzensemble/CompContest/
Concerts currently scheduled for the 2009-10 school year include:
All concerts are free and open to the public.
For up-to-date information on the IC Jazz Ensemble or to get on the mailing list, please join the Facebook group Ithaca College Jazz Enthusiasts.
The Intimacy of the Blues