For the second year in a row, ensembles from the University of North Texas’ acclaimed College of Music will be spotlighted on the UNT Showcase Stage at the ever-popular Denton Arts and Jazz Festival.
Jazz singers, African drummers, the Mariachi Aguilas and all nine of UNT’s lab bands — including the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band — will perform during the free festival, which will take place April 29 - May 1 at Quakertown Park (321 E. McKinney St.) in Denton.
Famed jazz musicians play tribute for late UNT jazz director
Lou Marini, Marvin Stamm and Tom "Bones" Malone
In addition, the Official Texas Jazz Orchestra and jazz greats Tom “Bones” Malone, “Blue” Lou Marini and Marvin Stamm — all three are former UNT students — will perform “A Tribute to Leon Breeden.” Their performance is Friday, April 29, at 9 p.m. on the festival’s Jazz Stage.
Breeden, who died in August at age 88, led UNT’s jazz program to international prominence when he served as director of the UNT jazz studies program and the One O'Clock Lab Band from 1959 to 1981.
UNT Showcase Stage schedule
April 29 (Friday)
- 5 p.m. — The Sean Giddings Quartet
- 6 p.m. — UNT Zebras Keyboard
- 7 p.m. — UNT Mariachi Aguilas
- 8 p.m. — UNT Latin Jazz Lab Band
April 30 (Saturday)
- 10 a.m. — UNT U-Tubes
- 11 a.m. — UNT Jazz Repertory Ensemble
Leon Breeden
Lab Band Madness
- Noon — Nine O’Clock Lab Band
- 1 p.m. — Eight O’Clock Lab Band
- 2 p.m. — Seven O’Clock Lab Band
- 3 p.m. — Six O’Clock Lab Band
- 4 p.m. — Five O’Clock Lab Band
- 5 p.m. — Four O’Clock Lab Band
- 6 p.m. — Three O’Clock Lab Band
- 7 p.m. — Two O’Clock Lab Band
- 8 p.m. — One O’Clock Lab Band
May 1 (Sunday)
- 11 a.m. — UNT Jazz Singers III
- 11:45 a.m. — UNT Jazz Singers II
- 12:30 p.m. — UNT Jazz Singers I
- 1:30 p.m. — UNT Super 400 Guitar
- 2:30 p.m. — UNT L-5 Guitar Ensemble
- 3:30 p.m. — UNT Jazz Vocalists: Kaela Bratcher, Trenton Hull, Kathryn Lachey and Kathryn Lane
- 4:45 p.m. — UNT African Drumming and Dance
- 5:45 p.m. — UNT Steel Drum Band and McCallum High School Steel Drum Band
See a complete schedule of the UNT Showcase Stage.
Win a guitar or UNT Jazz CD collection
Stop by the booth near the UNT Showcase Stage to enter to win a UNT jazz CD collection and a Squier Standard Stratocaster guitar by Fender, donated by Sky Guitars.
Learn more about UNT at a number of booths throughout festival grounds. Representatives will include those from the admissions office, the College of Visual Arts and Design, UNT on the Square, Athletics, the UNT Alumni Association and more.
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is the choice of more than 1,600 music majors from all over the world who are pursuing a wide variety of specializations, including classical music performance, jazz studies, music education, composition, musicology, theory and ethnomusicology. The college provides a rich musical environment with 100 full-time faculty members, 200 adjuncts and graduate assistants, a vast music library, and more than 40 student ensembles.
About the Festival
The Denton Arts and Jazz Festival is produced by the Denton Festival Foundation and features more than 2,500 performers on seven stages, fine arts and crafts, children's art activities and food and games. Learn more about the festival.
