Contact: Bruce Conley, News Information Director
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903
e-mail: bruce_conley@augie.edu
www.augie.edu

February 25, 2003

Jazz on the Upper Great Plains Festival, March 10-11

SIOUX FALLS - The Augustana College Jazz on the Upper Great Plains Festival is March 10-11.

Thirty high schools from four states are participating in this year's festival.

Participating bands will be performing throughout the day. Two concerts are scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, at noon and 6:45 p.m. Each concert features guest clinicians and soloists, Bob Rummage and Mike Tomaro.

Rummage is the Director of Percussion at Elmhurst College and one of the busiest musicians in Chicago. He has performed with many internationally known musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderly, Buddy DeFranco, and Mississippi blues man Mose Allison. His experience in the studio includes national television commercials as well as numerous CD appearances with Frank Mantooth, Rob Parton, Colby/Caruso and Mike Smith. Under his leadership, Elmhurst’s Percussion Ensemble has toured and recorded its own CD featuring student compositions. A noted clinician, he has made appearances at various high schools and colleges including the University of Illinois and Emporia State University.

Tomaro, a saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator is the director of jazz studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He has three nationally released recordings that showcase his talent as both a performer and writer - Forgotten Dreams (Seabreeze Records), Dancing Eyes (Seabreeze Records), and Home Again (Positive Music). More than 50 of his compositions and arrangements have been published, and as a performer he has worked with such diverse artists and groups as Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Mathis, Bernadette Peters, Terence Blanchard, the Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Big Band, and the Woody Herman Orchestra.

Participating high schools and their directors:

IOWA

• Estherville-Lincoln Central, Brian Sexe
• West Lyon Community School, Lynette Wedeking
• Lawton-Bronson, Brian J. Luther
• Remsen Saint Mary's, Cliff McMurray
• Ruthven-Ayrshire, Tim Nielsen
• Sheldon Community High School, Cliff St. Clair
• Sioux City East, Russ Nagel and Diane Gross
• Sioux City Heelan, Kevin Massey
• Sioux City Morningside Christian School, Roxie Nothdurft and Tim Hicks
• Terril Community School, Mark Byers

MINNESOTA

• Adrian, Jon W. Loy
• Mankato West, Todd Gullicksen
• Rochester Mayo, Becky Jarvis
• Westbrook-Walnut Grove, Thomas Vondracek

NEBRASKA

• Creighton Community Public Schools, Marty Antholz
• Omaha Westside High School, Roger Groth and Doug Hauserman

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Aberdeen Central, Dennis McDermott and Jerry Letcher
• Colman-Egan, Carrie Beckler
• Brandon Valley, Bob Goheen and Kevin Kessler
• Gregory, ReNae Jackson
• West Central Middle School, Terry Walter
• Huron, Jennifer Brown
• Lennox, Emily Anderson
• Madison, Tim Beckler
• McCook Central, Terry Keehn
• Sioux Falls Axtell Park Middle School, Mark Isackson
• Sioux Falls Lincoln, Bob Carlson and Dan Carlson
• Sioux Falls O'Gorman, Jim Smith
• Sioux Falls Washington, Jennifer K. Hohn and William W. Woodworth
• Deubrook, Renee O'Connor