INFORMATION FOR
Steve Wilson, one of the great alto saxophonists on the scene today, takes to the stage on Sunday, December 3, 2023 at William Paterson University in Wayne for the final concert of the fall 2023 Jazz Room series on campus. The concert begins at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts.
Wilson is one of today’s premier soprano saxophone performers. He is the lead alto saxist in the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and toured internationally for years with the great Chick Corea Origins group. He has collaborated with such celebrated musicians as Dave Holland, Cyrus Chestnut, Nicholas Payton, Orrin Evans, and Lewis Nash, and has long been involved at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC through Dr. Billy Taylor. Wilson’s career was closely intertwined with former William Paterson jazz directors Mulgrew Miller and James Williams and was a member of the university’s adjunct faculty for a number of years. He is currently on the faculty at City College, CUNY and at the prestigious Ravinia Festival.
The concert will be preceded by “Sittin’ In,” the Jazz Room’s accompanying “meet the artist” concert preview featuring interviews with jazz artists and guest speakers. This informal discussion, free to all Jazz Room ticketholders, begins at 3:00 p.m. in the Shea Recital Hall.
Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for WP faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens, $8 for non-WP students, and WP students are admitted free. Tickets are an additional $5 if purchased on show day. For tickets or additional information, visit wp-presents.org, or contact the Shea Center Box Office at 973.720.2371 or boxoffice@wpunj.edu.
William Paterson University’s Jazz Room series is the longest-running program of its kind in the United States. Launched in 1978, the Jazz Room has welcomed more than 500 jazz legends to the stage, including Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Slide Hampton, Kenny Burrell, Joe Lovano, Kenny Garrett, Clark Terry, Michael and Randy Brecker, the Vanguard Orchestra, and more. Concerts have encompassed the entire spectrum of jazz, from early jazz and swing to avant garde, and from intimate solo performances to big bands.
The performance series provides support for the University’s internationally renowned Jazz Studies Program, founded in 1973, and currently celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2023. The program draws students from across the United States and abroad under the current direction of Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Charlap.
The Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
