An internationally acclaimed big band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, will perform and conduct workshops for Stevens Point students October 1-2 as part of the Sentry Insurance Invitation to the Arts program.

A nine-time Grammy award winner, Marsalis is the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and music director and trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which is comprised of 15 of the countrys finest jazz soloists and ensemble players.

A public performance by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will be held Wednesday, October 1, in Sentrys theater @ 1800 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 and are available through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) Information and Ticket Office, (715) 346-4100 or (800) 838-3378. The Sentry Insurance Foundation will donate all ticket sale proceeds to support arts programs at local schools.

The performance will also be broadcast statewide on Wisconsin Public Radio. Air times will be announced at a later date.

While in Stevens Point, Marsalis and orchestra members will conduct workshops, classes and special performances for area junior high school, high school and UWSP music students.

"We are excited about providing local students the opportunity to learn from Wynton Marsalis, who is considered the most outstanding jazz musician and trumpeter of his generation," said Jim Weishan, senior vice president of Sentry Insurance.

Hands-on learning experiences with top caliber performers is what the Sentry Insurance Invitation to the Arts program is all about, said Weishan.

These education activities extend Jazz at Lincoln Centers long-term commitment to jazz education. With over 20 education programs and resources, JALC provides a continuum of experience in jazz for listeners, performers and educators of every age.

The Sentry Insurance Invitation to the Arts is sponsored by the Sentry Insurance Foundation, Inc. in conjunction with the College of Fine Arts and Communication at UWSP. Now in its fifth year, the program provides local students, from grade school through college, opportunities to interact with outstanding professionals in the fine arts.

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