Unit One/Allen at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
Brian Stark is Jazz Ensemble Director and Saxophone Instructor at the University of Illinois, Springfield. He completed his DMA in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where he was admitted as the inaugural recipient of the Helgesen Fellowship for Excellence in Jazz Studies. Brian’s research explores Gil Evans and Miles Davis’s interaction with historical flamenco styles in their landmark album Sketches of Spain. This research has been presented at conferences for the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and the Jazz Education Network. Brian's flamenco research is informed by an ongoing collaboration with flamenco guitarist David Chiriboga, which has resulted in a number of grant-funded flamenco-jazz performances in the central Illinois area. Brian’s flamenco-inspired compositions for big band have been recognized by the Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble Composition Contest and recorded by the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band. Brian has had compositions and arrangements commissioned by ensembles around the world and shared the stage with artists including Sean Jones, Stefon Harris, Brad Leali, Tito Carrillo, Larry Gray, Chip McNeill, Dr. Davy Mooney, and Andy LaVerne. Ensembles under Brian's leadership have been invited to perform at JEN and the North American Saxophone Alliance in addition to festival appearances across the midwest.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
10:00 AM – 10:25 AM US EST