Friday, May 27, 2022 6:30 pm
Neo Dixie: Dixieland Music

Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691

Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach (ORMACO) and the Friends of the Secrest Arboretum open its second season of Music at the Arboretum on Friday, May 27, 2022, with NEO (North East Ohio) Dixie. Join saxophonist Tom Lempner, trombonist Jimmy Redmond, tuba player Drew Kreiger and percussionist Darren Allen as they bring you these merry melodies and add a “new” (NEO) twist to some of these Dixieland treats.

The concert will be held at Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691. For more information call 419-853-6016.

The program is free, but registration is recommended.

About the Artists

Tom Lempner (saxophonist and resident of Medina) is a member of the music faculty at the Baldwin-Wallace University Conservatory of Music, Cleveland State University, and Notre Dame College. He is a woodwind coach for the Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies and is a teaching artist for CIPC ArtsConnect at Gilmour Academy.

As a Music Therapist, he has worked at the Prentiss Autism Center and has over ten years’ experience working with the urban youth population of Cleveland who have severe emotional disturbances. Tom works with ORMACO to facilitate grant-funded therapeutic music workshops with at-risk youth.

He has recorded on Palmyra Music, Infinite Number of Sounds, Parousia Digital, for Ludwig Masters Publications, and with Noel Quintana’s Latin Crew. His performances include live broadcasts on WCLV Classical 104.9, 90.3 WCPN, WRUW-FM 91.1, WJW FOX 8 News In the Morning, as he also has been featured on Ideastream, Cleveland Ovations, The Hazel Chapman Show, and Positively Cleveland.

Tom is a U.S. Army Veteran and a Conn-Selmer Performing Artist.

Mark Russo (native of Garfield Heights) is a freelance jazz trumpeter and educator in the greater Cleveland area. He is currently the director of bands at Constellation Schools: Parma Community High School.

Mark is currently promoting his latest project released on Bugles Media; his debut album entitled NEW AFFIRMATION, which features all original compositions and received a 4 STAR review on AllAboutJazz.com. He is the founding member of THE JAZZ INITIATIVE, which is an ensemble dedicated to the advocacy of jazz education in the Greater Cleveland area. In addition, Mr. Russo has been an adjudicator and Guest Artist for numerous local high school and college Jazz Festivals.

As a performer, Russo has worked for Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Curise Lines and has performed extensively with such local groups as Bobby Selvaggio’s Hedectet Jazz Collective (HJC), The AVENUE from Cleveland Music Group (CMG), and has shared the stage with such artists as Ken Peplowski, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Carl Allen, Ingrid Jensen, John Bailey, Marvin Stamm, Allen Vizzutti, Randy Johnston, Wayne Bergeron, and Mike Lee. He has also recorded albums as a sideman with the likes of Bobby Selvaggio, Kevin Scaley, Jeremey Poparad, Asher Barkin and Lou Armagno to name a few.

Jimmy Redmond (Cleveland native) grew his passion for trombone early at age 10, inspired by his dad who also is a trombonist. His passion for jazz was inspired by family influence and growing up listening to J.J. Johnson, Carl Fontana & Frank Rosolino among studying with local major influencers such as Paul Ferguson, Chas Baker & Chris Anderson.

Jimmy has had the pleasure to share the stage with several musical icons including; Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Heath, Nicholas Payton, Conrad Herwig, Jiggs Whigham, Steve Turre, Dominick Farinacci, Ernie Krivda, Bobby Selvaggio & many more. In addition to playing regularly with Bone-afied, he plays with the Skatch Anderssen Orchestra as well as freelance for the Fat Tuesday Big Band, Jerry Bruno Orchestra, Dave Banks Big Band, Dan Zola Orchestra & Gabriel Horns.

He has continued to develop his career and grow his family in the Cleveland area to continue to deepen his roots in a culture that has been rich for growing development, especially for the jazz community.

Drew Krieger is a low brass player from Willoughby, Ohio. He plays bass trombone with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, tuba with the Night Owls, a 1920s-style jazz band, and tuba/euphonium with the German brass band Gottscheer Blaskepelle.

Darren Allen (drums) was born and raised in the Cleveland area. He has worked in the Bay Village School District since 2005, where the music program has been voted a Top Music Community in the United States since 2003. Mr. Allen received his master’s degree in music education from Case Western Reserve University. As a conductor, and composer, he works with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, which performs regularly at Severance Hall. A graduate of Rocky River High School, Mr. Allen completed his undergraduate work at Youngstown State University, where he was featured on a recording of Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite with the YSU Wind Ensemble and on the Jazz Ensemble I album “Lester Left Town.” While studying at YSU, he was also chosen as the only drummer from the state for the 2002 OMEA Intercollegiate Jazz Ensemble.

During his undergraduate studies, Mr. Allen performed throughout the state with various musicians and recording artists, including Mark Vinci, Maria Schneider, Joanne Brackeen, Frank Foster, Marvin Stamm, Nick Brignola, Chuck Mangione, Bruce Johnstone, and Sean Jones.

Mr. Allen has also performed extensively throughout the Cleveland area with numerous jazz groups, including Powerhouse 5, the Skatch Anderssen big band, and the Dan Zola Orchestra. Mr. Allen and his wife Alice, a harpist, perform together in the Parma Symphony Orchestra.

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