The University of Arkansas Department of Music is proud to announce the 2017 Eddie Wade Jones Black Music Symposium. This year's program, "Shaping American Music: Jazz, Blues, Soul, and Rock," will chronicle the ways in which African Americans have shaped major musical movements in the United States over the last century.

The symposium includes lectures from UA music faculty and features special guests from the Stax Music Academy of Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to the daily lectures and workshops, each night of the symposium will feature music spanning the musical genres of jazz, blues, soul, and rock.

The symposium kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 1, with a lecture by Joon Park on the evolution of jazz and a masterclass on jazz performance practice led by professor Jake Hertzog. Wednesday's concert will feature the Jake Hertzog Trio and Friends. Thursday, Feb. 2, will feature a lecture on jazz fusion by Jake Hertzog and a lecture on the early history of rock and roll by Matthew Mihalka. Thursday's concert will feature  UA's Schola Cantorum, Inspirational Chorale, Jazz Ensemble, and members of the Fayetteville Jazz Collective singing and playing the music of Bobby McFerrin, Stevie Wonder, Take Six, and other jazz and pop greats. Friday, Feb. 3, will highlight the music of Duke Ellington in a lecture by Kim Teal as well the history of our featured guest artist, the Stax Music Academy, in a lecture led by directors Paul B. McKinney and Adrianna Christmas. Friday will also feature a more relaxed open mic night at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The symposium will close with a final concert featuring students of Stax Music Academy and UA's newest ensemble, Inspired Soul.

Except for the Open Mic Night, all events will take place in the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be obtained at the door on the night of each event — Saturday's concert is $10 for general admission and $5 for students, faculty, and seniors. A full listing of events can be found below.

The Eddie Wade Jones Black Music Symposium is sponsored in part by the University of Arkansas Department of Music, the University of Arkansas Inspirational Chorale, the University of Arkansas African and African American Studies Program and the U of A Artists and Concerts Committee. We sincerely hope you will join us for this celebration of music, culture, and diversity.

Symposium Events

Wednesday, Feb. 1

• 2-2:50 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Lecture: "Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, and Today's Jazz: Shaping and Reshaping of Jazz"
  Joon Park, UA music faculty
• 3:10-3:55 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center 
  "Performance Practice of Jazz"
• 7:30pm, Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Evening Concert: "Jake Hertzog Trio and Friends"
  Free tickets available at the door only

Thursday, Feb. 2

• 2-2:50 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Lecture: "Birth of Fusion"
  Professor Jake Hertzog, UA music faculty
• 3-3:50 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Lecture: "The Early History of Rock and Roll"
  Matthew Mihalka, UA music faculty
• 7:30 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Evening Concert: "Jazz Collage Concert"
  UA Ensembles and the Fayetteville Jazz Collective
  free tickets available at the door only

Friday, Feb. 3

• 2-2:50 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Lecture: "The Music of Duke Ellington"
  Kim Teal, UA music faculty
• 3-3:50 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
  Lecture: "The History and Legacy of STAX"
  Paul B. McKinney, Stax Music Academy, instrumental director
  Adrianna Christmas, Stax Music Academy, director
• 7:30 p.m., Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall
  Open Mic Night (free and open to the public)

Saturday, Feb. 4

• 7:30 p.m., Faulkner Performing Arts Center
• Evening Concert: "An Evening with Stax Music Academy with UA Inspired Soul"
• $10 general admission; $5 students, faculty, seniors