The Concordia Vocal Jazz Festival is an annual event that features Concordia's three vocal jazz ensembles, engaging and effective clinicians, and vocal jazz ensembles from across the region. Past guest artists include säje, The New York Voices, Jeremy Fox, Rosana Eckert, Justin Binek, Ryan Howe, Tobi Crawford, and Jerry Rubino.

The 2025 Vocal Jazz Festival will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. Each participating ensemble will have an on-stage performance/clinic with Alyssa Allgood and Matt Falker. The evening before, on Jan. 31, Matt and Alyssa will perform a recital on campus through Concordia's Cultural Events Series. Ensembles participating in the Vocal Jazz Festival will have an opportunity to add tickets for this recital to their registration.

For more information, please email Vocal Jazz staff advisor Wyatt Steinke.

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2024 Vocal Jazz Festival Schedule

All events took place in Christiansen Recital Hall, Hvidsten Hall of Music.

9 a.m. — Performance/clinic with Harmonic Blend (Grand Rapids High School)
9:55 a.m. — Performance/clinic with Rebelution (Champlin Park High School)
10:50 a.m. — Performance/clinic with Concordia Jazz Singers
11:50 a.m.-1:40 p.m. — Break for lunch/campus tours
1:45 p.m. — Interest session with Justin Binek (Vocal Improvisation: It's a Matter of Style)
2:30 p.m. — Interest session with Rosana Eckert (Expanding the Melody)
3:15 p.m. — Performance/clinic with Concordia Vocal Jazz Gold
4:10 p.m. — Performance/clinic with Concordia Vocal Jazz Maroon
5 p.m. — Q&A session with Justin Binek and Rosana Eckert

Alyssa Allgood

Named a Rising Star Female Vocalist in the 2024 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, vocalist and composer Alyssa Allgood stands out as a bold and compelling voice in the modern jazz landscape. A passionate educator, Allgood teaches in the jazz department at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University.

Matt Falker

Matt Falker is a jazz and gospel pianist, vocalist, arranger, and clinician. As a full-time professor at MiraCosta College, Falker directs the Downbeat award-winning Frequency vocal jazz program and is founder and director of the Oceanside Jazz Festival, a non-competitive vocal jazz festival hosted at MiraCosta.

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Megan Gunnerson

Student Director, Concordia Vocal Jazz
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Rachel Cavaness

Media and Operations Student Manager, Concordia Vocal Jazz
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Wyatt Steinke

Manager of Choral Activities - Music; Staff Advisor, Concordia Vocal Jazz