The internationally acclaimed jazz vocal group New York Voices will work with high school students from across the region at Concordia College’s Vocal Jazz Festival on Saturday, Jan. 31, and perform for the public Friday, Jan. 30.
2026 Vocal Jazz Festival
The Concordia Vocal Jazz Festival is a day of music celebration and learning for area school ensembles, featuring Concordia’s three vocal jazz ensembles and engaging clinics with expert performers.
Ensembles from the following high schools will participate: St. Mary’s Central High School, Century High School, and Legacy High School, Bismarck, North Dakota; Fargo North High School, Fargo, North Dakota; Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Champlin Park High School, Champlin, Minnesota; Monticello High School, Monticello, Minnesota; Brookings High School, Brookings, South Dakota; and Madison High School, Madison, South Dakota.
The singers of New York Voices, as well as Tommy Boynton and Liz Townsend, will lead on-stage performance clinics for each participating group and offer interest sessions on jazz performance and pedagogy.
The festival schedule includes:
8:30-9 a.m.
Brookings HS Nothin' But Treble, Recital Hall
Legacy HS Evolution, Buxton/Hanson
9:05-9:35 a.m.
Century HS Jubilee Women's Jazz Choir, Recital Hall
9:40-10:10 a.m.
10:15-10:45 a.m.
10:50-11:20 a.m.
11:25-11:55 a.m.
1:30-2 p.m.
2:05-2:35 p.m.
2:40-3:10 p.m.
All festival events take place in Hvidsten Hall of Music and are free and open to the public.
More information can be found at ConcordiaCollege.edu/VocalJazz.
New York Voices Concert Jan. 30
The day before the festival, New York Voices will perform a concert open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, in Memorial Auditorium at Concordia College.
The quartet of jazz vocalists — Kim Nazarian, Lauren Kinhan, Darmon Meader, and Peter Eldridge — has been recording and touring for 38 years, collaborating with the Count Basie Orchestra, Paquito d’Rivera, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and launching jazz education initiatives of their own. They have produced more than a dozen albums and are set to retire at the end of 2026.
Tickets are $24 for adult general admission, $22 for senior general admission, and $10 for students younger than 18. They can be purchased online at ConcordiaCollege.edu/CulturalEvents or by calling 218.299.4366. Concordia faculty, staff, and students will be admitted free with ID at the door.