Wallace State hosting “Night of Jazz” on Thursday, Feb. 10
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Wallace State Community College’s Fine and Performing Arts program will host a “Night of Jazz” on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Burrow Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
The concert is free and open to the public and will feature performances by Wallace State faculty and friends of the program.
“We’re blessed to have a talented group of instructors in our Fine and Performing Arts programs and are excited to share those talents with our students and the community,” said Ricky Burks, chair of the Wallace State Fine and Performing Arts department. “We’re also excited to welcome several of our gifted friends to share with us as well.”
Faculty performers set to appear include Ricky Burks, Tiffany Richter, and Jacob Keisler.
Burks is the director of the Jazz Band and Saxophone Quartet. Earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of North Alabama, Burks has trained in both jazz and classical idioms. He has performed with several ensembles, including groups such as the Edd Jones Orchestra, the Muscle Shoals Area Big Band, the Sammy Kaye Orchestra, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Steel City Sound, and the Russ Morgan Orchestra. He was also a founding member of the Night Life Saxophone Quartet, which has been featured on National Public Radio.
Richter is the director of the Wallace State Singers and Concert Choir. Originally from Oklahoma, Richter received her master’s in Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University-San Marcos, with a stipulation in Vocal Jazz. In the private sector, she collaborates as a musician as a gospel and jazz recording artist, performing in a variety of settings across the United States, as well as Europe and Central America. She will soon release her third solo album, “Standards,” a collection of Jazz standards from the American Songbook.
Keisler is an alumnus of the Wallace State Fine and Performing Arts program, where he performed in the Jazz Band, Concert Band and Saxophone Quartet. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Alabama and master’s degree from Troy University. While in North Alabama, he had the opportunity to record and perform with professional musicians at FAME Studio in the Shoals Area.
In conjunction with the event, the Fine and Performing Arts program has partnered with The Evelyn Burrow Museum to present “All That Jazz,” an exhibition featuring posters and photographs of Jazz legends such as Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. Along with each poster, a QR code will allow visitors to hear recordings related to the featured artists.
The “All That Jazz” exhibition is in the exhibit hall of the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts and is free and open during the college’s normal operating hours.
Other performances scheduled for the Spring 2022 semester include:
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by Wallace State Theatre, March 18-19 at 7 p.m., March 20 at 2 p.m., Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre, $10 general, $5 students and children under 12
- Dazzle Me, Disney! by the Wallace State Singers, April 7-9 at 7 p.m., Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre, $10 general donation, $5 student donation
- Big Band Dance, by the Wallace State Jazz Band, April 15 at 7 p.m., Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, $15 donation
- Dance Spring Showcase by the Allegro Dance Theatre, April 22, 7 p.m., Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre, $10 donation
- Spring Under the Stars by the Wallace State Concert Choir and Concert Band, April 26, 6:30 p.m., free admission, bring lawn chair or blanket
The program is hosting Scholarship auditions for the 2022-2023 academic year Feb. 11 and March 11 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Burrow Center. Auditions will be held for the instrumental, vocal, theatre and dance ensembles and are open to current students and students planning to begin classes in the fall. For more information, visit www.wallacestate.edu/fpa or contact Jessica Chairez at 256.352.8277 or jessica.chairez@wallacestate.edu.