Category: Jazz

Acclaimed trumpet player and vocalist Bria Skonberg brings holiday spirit to West Lafayette this December.

To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) and its artistic director, Wynton Marsalis, who will make his final appearance at Purdue, take the Elliott stage on January 31, 2026.

West Lafayette, IN — Purdue's STEM-focused curriculum centers on experiential learning in various academic disciplines. Specifically in the John Martinson Honors College, Dr. J. Peter Moore leads a student cohort's independent study of printmaking at their studio known as the PrintBay....

For the past 43 years, Yellowjackets has built a reputation as one of jazz’s most influential groups. Through sold-out tours, critical and commercial success, and numerous lineup changes, the powerhouse trio’s career spans 26 albums and 16 Grammy® nominations. On January 23, they’re set to perform for thousands of high school musicians and jazz enjoyers on Purdue’s campus in the annual Jazz Festival.

Hadestown, the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will come to Purdue University on February 6, 2025 at 7:30pm in Elliott Hall of Music.

The Mingus Big Band, one of the most influential ensembles in contemporary jazz, will perform at Purdue University on January 23, 2025 at 8:00pm in Loeb Playhouse.

Join The Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet for an extraordinary evening of jazz at Purdue’s Loeb Playhouse on October 12, 2024. Led by award-winning pianist Isaiah J. Thompson, the quartet features David Alvarez III on drums, Julian Lee on saxophone, and Sebastian Rios on bass. Together, they bring a dynamic, soulful performance that blends jazz tradition with innovation. Don’t miss this unforgettable night of piano, bass, drums, and sax!

The 2024-2025 Convos Season includes the 29th West Lafayette Global Fest, award-winning jazz and chamber musicians, a curricular integration theatre residency, thought-provoking lectures, family-friendly engagements, and award-winning Broadway musicals and major attractions in Elliott Hall of Music including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert, Dear Evan Hansen, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Hadestown, Pretty Woman: The Musical, and Chicago.

Educator Judd Danby talks with GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin about her musical roots, pursuing mentors, her album Phoenix, and overcoming fears. Lakecia headlines Purdue’s 2024 Jazz Fest on Jan. 19, 2024.

Blending traditional jazz with elements of hip-hop and soul, Lakecia’s music defies boundaries. Her magnetic stage presence and the fiery embrace of her saxophone have earned her global acclaim, sharing stages with legends like Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, and The Roots.

At Purdue Convocations, we take pride in showcasing incredible talent from various artistic fields. This year, we are overjoyed to see more than 40 of our past performers receiving well-deserved nominations for the prestigious Grammy Awards.

Emmet Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts. Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, he is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.