Jazz in June continues today with the UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble and special guest vocalist Jackie Allen. Organized by the Sheldon Art Association and Sheldon Museum of Art, the free concerts take place every Tuesday in June at 7 p.m. with activities beginning at 5 p.m.
The UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble includes Paul Haar, associate professor of music; Eric Richards, assistant professor of composition and jazz studies; Darryl White, associate professor of trumpet; Hans Sturm, assistant professor of music; and Chris Varga. Allen, who has recorded nine albums, is Sturm's wife.
Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early to get a spot on the lawn west of the museum. Sheldon Art Association volunteers will sell water, T-shirts and artist CDs. Blankets and lawn chairs are allowed. Pets, with the exception of service animals, are not.
The Jazz in June Market at 12th and R streets begins at 5 p.m. each Tuesday. A wide variety of food and drink vendors are available, and local artists will be selling their wares.
Free walking tours of campus gardens are also offered as part of Jazz at June activities. Organized by Landscape Services, Facilities Management and Planning and Sheldon, the garden tours are offered prior to each concert at 6 p.m. and start at the east entrance to the museum.
Sarah Feit, assistant curator of education at the Sheldon Museum of Art, will lead today's tour of campus sculpture. The tour will include works by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Mark di Suvero, Roxy Paine and Richard Serra. Feit will provide information on materials, locations and meanings of the largest, most widely visible artworks in the Sheldon's collection.
Super Sleuth scavenger hunts inside the museum will also begin at 6 p.m. every Tuesday. Jazz in June's youngest patrons are invited to pick up activity sheets on the west side of the museum and follow clues through its galleries. Josh the Otter, from the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation, will be on hand to teach kids about water safety.
Although the Jazz in June concert series is free, those attending are encouraged to make a donation of at least $10 per family to help ensure its continuation.
The UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble drew national attention in 2010 with its appearance on the NET Television and UNL School of Music program, "Jazz Cabaret," viewed by millions. The program captured the versatility and creativity audiences have come to expect from the group.
Allen, a vocalist, songwriter and recording artist, has toured the world, including trips through Morocco, Brazil, Taiwan and China. She was the only jazz artist to headline at the Beijing Music Festival. Her latest release, "Starry Night," is a live recording of Allen accompanied by the Muncie Symphony Orchestra performing star-themed songs arranged specifically for her.
For more information on Jazz in June, go to http://www.jazzinjune.com.
More details at: http://www.jazzinjune.com/