Renowned Penn State School of Music Director of Jazz Studies Marko Marcinko, far left, will conduct Centre Dimensions, Penn State's premier 20-piece jazz ensemble, when it performs Oct. 26 at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. The concert is being hosted by the four northeast region Penn State campuses.
Penn State alumni representing four northeast regional campuses — Hazleton, Schuylkill, Wilkes-Barre and Worthington Scranton — will be offering “A Night of Penn State Jazz” on Thursday, Oct. 26, at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre.
A pre-event mixer is planned for 6:30 p.m. when the doors open. The concert, featuring Penn State’s Centre Dimensions jazz ensemble, will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Centre Dimensions, the premier 20-piece jazz ensemble at Penn State, performs frequently on campus and tours throughout Pennsylvania and the East.
Conducted by renowned Penn State School of Music Director of Jazz Studies Marko Marcinko, Centre Dimensions performs and works with several internationally known artists each year. For this concert, a rarely assembled combination of Penn State faculty members will perform, including Mark Lusk, Dave Stambler, Mac Himes, Bob Hart, and Marcinko, along with special guests Erin Malloy-Marcinko and Steve Rudolph.
Centre Dimensions performs a challenging repertoire of modern and classic jazz, as well as originals written by the director. This highly selective ensemble is open by audition to Penn State undergraduate and graduate students in all majors.
“We are looking forward to an outstanding performance by these Penn Staters who, by virtue of being selected for this prestigious ensemble, are among the very best in the country,” said Will Beekman, F.M. Kirby Center director and a Penn State alumnus. “Working with Marko Marcinko is a wonderful local connection, and I am personally excited to welcome students and faculty from my alma mater to the Kirby.”
Reserved seating tickets are available for $15 per person and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kirbycenter.org, at the F.M Kirby box office, or by phone at 570-826-1100.
In addition to the alumni organizations at Penn State Hazleton, Schuylkill, Wilkes-Barre and Worthington Scranton, this event is being sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and Arts at Hayfield.
“Alumni groups allow us to extend the Penn State experience throughout the lifelong relationship that we maintain with our alumni. In particular, the groups associated with our northeast campuses are a tremendous asset to the Penn State Alumni Association,” said Paul Clifford, CEO of the Penn State Alumni Association. “Events that involve our alumni and feature talented students and faculty highlight our academic quality and showcase Penn State pride.”
