Tiffin University expands scope of annual music festival
In its 15th year of hosting educational music festivals, Tiffin University is expanding its focus on jazz to include a variety of popular styles of music. To reflect the change, Brad Rees, director of the TU Music Department, said the annual event has been renamed The Tiffin ProMusic Festival. Nearly 40 student and professional bands and vocal groups from across the country are to converge at The Ritz Theatre April 12-13.
"Fifteen years ago we launched Tiffin's first Jazz Festival, and have been holding it each year at The Ritz Theatre ever since," Rees said "It's become one of the largest festivals of its kind in Ohio, hosting dozens of groups each year who travel to Tiffin from throughout the Midwest, and often from as far away as the East Coast. It's exciting to see our festival grow to include not only jazz, but a variety of other entertaining commercial and popular styles of music."
The change in focus comes in conjunction with the launch of Tiffin University's new bachelor's degree in professional music, a degree designed to train musicians in practical commercial and popular music performance.
The ProMusic Festival also is to bring in two high-energy groups.
April 12, the Denver-based band Euphorquestra performs at 7:30 p.m. at The Ritz Theatre. This seven-member group plays "high-intensity global dance music," a percussion and horn driven blend of modern music that fuses Afrobeat, reggae, dub, funk, rock, soca and highlife with traditional sounds from Cuba, Brazil, West Africa and beyond. The band has three full-length albums and a tour schedule of more than 110 shows annually.
Fact Box
Tiffin ProMusic Festival schedule:
April 12
The Ritz Theatre Main Stage
9:20 a.m. - McComb High School Jazz Ensemble.
10 a.m. - Gibsonburg High School Golden Notes Jazz Band.
10:40 a.m. - Seneca East High School Tiger Jazz Band.
11:20 a.m. - Fremont Ross High School Jazz Ensemble.
12:40 p.m. - Hopewell-Loudon High School Chieftain Jazz.
1:20 p.m. - Beaver Local High School Jazz Band.
2 p.m. - Tiffin Columbian High School Jazz Band.
2:40 p.m. - Delta High School Jazz Band.
3:20 p.m. - Tiffin University Afrofunk Arkestra.
4 p.m. - Euphorquestra Meet the Artist.
7:30 p.m. Evening Concert featuring Euphorquestra and TU's The InBetween, Sound & Silence.
April 13
8:20 a.m. National Stage - Hardin Northern HS Awakened Commotion.
8:40 a.m. Ritz Stage - Upper Sandusky HS Upper Class.
9 a.m. National Stage - Napoleon HS Jazz Choir.
9:20 a.m. Ritz Stage - Fremont Ross HS Select Vocal Ensemble.
9:40 a.m. National Stage - New Riegel HS Jacket Company.
10 a.m. Ritz Stage - Port Clinton HS Touch of Class.
10:20 a.m. National Stage - Olentangy Orange HS Above The Noise.
10:40 a.m. Ritz Stage - Buckeye HS Harmonics.
11:00 a.m. National Stage - East Lake HS Northern Lights.
11:20 a.m. Ritz Stage - Oak Harbor HS 3rd Inversion.
11:40 a.m. National Stage - New Haven HS Sweet Dissonance.
noon Ritz Stage - Canton South HS Sound of South.
12:20 p.m. National Stage - Buckeye HS Dynamic.
12:40 p.m. Ritz Stage - Olmsted Falls HS Golden Expressions.
1 p.m. National Stage - Howland HS Another Way.
1:20 p.m. Ritz Stage - North Olmsted HS Coming Attractions.
1:40 p.m. National Stage - Frequency.
2 p.m. Ritz Stage - Amos Alonzo Stagg HS Business Casual.
2:20 p.m. National Stage - Olmsted Falls HS Acabellas.
2:40 p.m. Ritz Stage - Buckeye HS Upbeat.
3 p.m. National Stage - Olentagy Orange HS Sunkist.
3:20 p.m. Ritz Stage - North Olmsted HS Special Edition.
3:40 p.m. National Stage - Snider HS Synergy.
4:00 p.m. Ritz Stage - Tiffin University Temperature Risin.'
4:20 p.m. Ritz Stage - M-PACT Meet the Artists.
7:30 p.m. Ritz Stage - Evening Concert featuring M-PACT and TU's Up in the Air, Higher Ground.
Euphorquestra will be joined by two groups from Tiffin University: Sound & Silence, which blends rock, R&B and hip hop styles; and The InBetween, which plays a mix of rock, funk and soul. General admission tickets for the triple-bill are $10 each, available from The Ritz Theatre box office.
April 13, vocal group M-PACT returns to Tiffin. The six-member a cappella ensemble is comprised of some of the most successful singers in Los Angeles, performing with the smooth soul of Stevie Wonder, the percussive power of Stomp, the funk and drive of Earth Wind and Fire, the hip licks of Take 6 and the brass bite of a big band all created by the human voice alone. Described as a "Cirque du Soleil of song," their signature sound has been used in numerous television themes and animated Disney feature films over the last 12 years.
M-PACT will be joined by Tiffin University a cappella groups Up in the Air and Higher Ground. General admission tickets for the shows are available for $12 each from The Ritz Theatre box office.
During each day, the stages of The Ritz and The National Theatre will feature dozens of high school and college jazz, rock, pop and commercial bands and vocal groups. Daytime activities are free.
For tickets to evening concerts, call The Ritz Theatre at (419) 448-8544 or visit www.ritztheatre.org. For information about daytime activities, please call (419) 448-3366 or email gig@
tiffin.edu.
