Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series Announces Four Acts for 2023-2024 Season
August 22, 2023
Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series (NWOCS), an organization that seeks to bring cultural performances and entertainment to northwest Oklahoma, will begin its 2023-24 season Tuesday, Sept. 12, and the advisory board is selling season tickets to its four scheduled acts. All four concerts will take place on Tuesdays, with the respective dates, at 7 p.m. in Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Herod Hall Auditorium.
This year’s schedule includes Alias Brass, Sept. 12; Highline Vocal Jazz, Oct. 17; Shelby Eicher and the Tulsa Travelers, Jan. 16, 2024; and David Riley and Jasper Wood, Feb. 6, 2024.
More information on the four scheduled acts follows:
Alias Brass Company, Sept. 12
Described as “the only name for music innovation” by Martin Hackleman, formerly of the Empire and Canadian Brass, the Alias Brass Company, founded in 2013, is a collaboration of five uniquely talented artists and educators from across the nation. From Baroque and Classical to Jazz and Pop, the Alias Brass Company’s shows are “a sure-fire hit; chamber music of the future with something for everyone!”
Members in the group demonstrate their artistic range with an array of different shows that take audiences on an emotional journey by combining diverse elements of classical music, modern pop culture, and all things in between to create an experience that is both engaging and exciting. Receiving critical acclaim for being captivating, diverse, and innovative, Alias Brass continues to dazzle audiences across North and South America.
Committed to promoting an image of music that is inclusive, the Alias Brass Company strives to fulfill its mission of ensuring that music remains sustainable and thriving in today’s society by presenting works that represent a variety of global styles, genders, and cultures.
Members of the Alias Brass Company are true champions of music education dedicated to inspiring the next generation through wide-reaching and relevant workshops for young audiences. Alias is active throughout the school year providing clinics, master classes, and demonstrations to young musicians and non-musicians alike, focusing on innovation, creativity, technique, and expression through music.
No stranger to the international stage, the Alias Brass Company has performed at such venues as the Banff Centre for the Arts Summer Music Concert Series and the International Horn Symposium in Natal, Brazil. The group members have also been highlighted as featured artists at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Alias has been awarded professional residencies at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Denver, Colorado, and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. The ensemble has performed countless concerts throughout the United States and Canada, touring extensively in such areas as the Pacific Midwest, Midwest, Texas, Georgia, California and Missouri.
For more information on Alias Brass visit https://www.aliasbrass.com.
Highline Vocal Jazz, Oct. 17
Highline Vocal Jazz is an award-winning vocal jazz quintet comprised of five friends who really like singing. They were founded in December 2017 and have been creating music videos for original, tight five-part arrangements ever since. Based in New York City, they perform and teach all over the United States. Just recently, Highline was named the national champion of the 2022 Harmony Sweepstakes.
Group members are committed to continuing the vocal jazz tradition established by groups like The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, The Real Group, and Take 6, as well as honoring the many influential instrumentalists that have pioneered jazz language. They believe in modernizing and reshaping the art form these musicians championed and making it fun and accessible for all audiences.
At the center of their philosophy is the education of the next generation of singers through workshops and masterclasses in jazz singing and arranging.
For more information on Highline Vocal Jazz visit https://www.highlinevocal.com.
Shelby Eicher and the Tulsa Travelers, Jan. 16, 2024
Shelby Eicher has had the opportunity to record, gig, and make TV appearances with many legends including Roy Clark, Hank Thompson, J. J. Cale, Leon McAuliffe, The Tractors and many more. Being band leader for the Tulsa Travelers is a high spot in his career. Eicher has been inducted into two Western Swing Halls of Fame and is a contemporary of the jazz violin scene.
Members of the Tulsa Travelers are a band of seasoned Western Swing musicians that epitomize the genre. They have worked with Johnnie Lee Wills, Hank Thompson, Leon McAuliffe, Leon Rausch, Tommy Alsup and others.
For more information on Shelby Eicher visit http://www.shelbyeicher.com.
Jasper Wood and David Riley, Feb. 6, 2024
Canadian violinist Jasper Wood has established a flourishing reputation as a soloist through his frequent performances with many of North America's finest orchestras and as a recitalist and chamber musician. The New York Concert Review raved about pianist David Riley's "absolutely exquisite technique."
Their CD “Stradivarius Christmas” was acclaimed by audiences and critics upon its release in 2012. The talented violinist and pianist have half a dozen CDs as a duo, covering major works by Stravinsky, Bartók, Ives and others. In 2004, they garnered a Best Classical Recording award from East Coast Music. The 2016-2017 season marked the 25th anniversary of their collaboration. In 2010, they toured the Midwestern United States, playing 17 concerts in 19 days, logging in over 4,000 miles on the road.
For more information on Jasper Wood visit https://www.jasperwood.net/index.html.
For more information on David Riley visit https://davidrileypiano.com/.
Season tickets, as well as individual performance tickets, may be purchased online at www.nwocs.ludus.com or from Holder Drug or Graceful Arts Center. Anyone interested in buying a contributor package or tickets can contact Kimberly Weast, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, at kkweast@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8462.
The reserved seating section at each concert will be held until five minutes before the performance.
Stay up-to-date with NWOCS by liking the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NorthwestOkCS/. Keep an eye out for the hashtag #NWOCS.
The Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series is supported by Northwestern, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Charles Morton Share Trust.
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CONTACT FOR RELEASE
Erin Davis, University Relations Specialist
eedavis@nwosu.edu, 580-327-8480