All-State Jazz Band
SCOTT J. CASAGRANDE has been Director of Bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL since 1999. He was previously Director of Bands at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, IL and Stephen Decatur High School in Decatur, IL. A native of Fairfax County, VA, Mr. Casagrande received his B.S. and M.S. in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Ensembles under Mr. Casagrande’s direction have been selected to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (jazz and concert), 15 of the last 16 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festivals and four National Concert Band Festivals. In 2004, he was one of three conductors in the United States chosen to participate in the NBA International Conducting Symposium in Rome, Italy, conducting the Italian National Army Band.
Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble
PETER ELDRIDGE is a co-founding member of the double-Grammy winning New York Voices, which has recorded seven studio albums (including A Day Like This released on MCG Jazz in September 2007). The group has made numerous guest appearances, and toured internationally for two decades, with appearances including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center. In addition, compositions by Mr. Eldridge have been included on albums by other artists: ‘Minds of Their Own’, written with Brazilian composer-performer Ivan Lins, was included on Nancy Wilson’s R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) on the MCG Jazz Label, which won the 2004 Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album; ‘Difficult’ was recorded by Cuban saxophonistclarinetist Paquito D’Rivera for his The Jazz Chamber Trio, a 2005 release on Chesky Records; and Jane Monheit, features Peter’s song ‘Surrender’ as the title track on her acclaimed 2007 CD.
Honors Jazz Combo
RICK HAYDON is a Professor of Music at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he is the Director of Jazz Studies. He teaches Advanced Jazz Improvisation, Rhythm Section Workshop, Private Applied Jazz Guitar, supervises the Jazz Combo System, and Directs the Jazz Guitar Ensemble. Rick has served on the summer faculties of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Band Director Academy, the Birch Creek Music Center and the Jim Widner Summer Jazz Camps. He has served as a clinician/mentor for the Essentially Ellington Competition
Rick has been playing guitar for forty-seven years and has studied with many of the Masters of Jazz Guitar. Among these are, Johnny Smith, Howard Roberts, Pat Martino, and most recently Bucky Pizzarelli (7-string). Professor Haydon has been performing professionally for over forty-five years.
Honors Jazz Band
Musical ambassador and interpreter of America’s music, WyCLIFFe GOrDOn experiences an impressive career touring the world performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. His unmatched modern mastery of the plunger mute and his exceptional technique and signature sound, has solidified Gordon a place in musical history known as one of the top trombonists of his generation. Jazz Journalists Association named him “Trombonist of the Year” in 2001, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011, and he is a past recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Vanguard Award, among others.
In addition to an extremely successful solo career, Gordon tours regularly leading the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, headlining at legendary jazz venues and perform- ing arts centers throughout the world.
58 Illinois Music Education Conference – The Creative Mind | Conductor Biographies
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