(Clockwise from left) Rick Haydon, award recipient; bassist and Grammy nominee Nick Jost (’08, ’12); drummer Marty Morrison (’09, ’12); saxophonist and organist Austin Cebulske (’12); jazz pianist Kara Baldus-Mehrmann (’03, ’05)

EDWARDSVILLE - Jazz artists from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Concert Jazz Band and four featured SIUE alumni will take the stage in both Edwardsville and midtown St. Louis in February for two stellar evenings. Opening night on the Edwardsville campus will precede “An Evening with the Chancellor at Jazz St. Louis.” The Edwardsville concert will also feature the inaugural Brett Stamps Jazz Alumni Award. Performances are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.

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Alumni musicians scheduled to appear include saxophonist and organist Austin Cebulske (’12), jazz pianist Kara Baldus-Mehrmann (’03, ’05), bassist and Grammy nominee Nick Jost (’08, ’12) and drummer Marty Morrison (’09, ’12).

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to SIUE, a place that was so crucial to my development as a musician and pivotal in my career as an educator,” said Cebulske, who teaches saxophone and music at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and leads the organ trio Soul Impressions. “SIUE has one of the best jazz programs in the country and the musicians I met there 15 years ago have remained life-long collaborators and friends. It’s an honor to be featured as a guest with the phenomenal SIUE Big Band along with the other incredible alumni of this amazing jazz program.”

On Feb. 5, doors open at SIUE’s Dunham Hall Theater 30 minutes prior to the 7:30 p.m. Annual Jazz Alumni Concert with The SIUE Concert Jazz Band and awards ceremony. A reception for SIUE alumni, hosted by the SIUE Music Alumni Network, will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Rick Haydon will accept The Brett Stamps Jazz Alumni Award, which recognizes an alumnus who has distinguished themselves through musical excellence and creative values upheld within the jazz area.

Haydon is Professor Emeritus whose career included SIUE Director of Jazz Studies and head of the Guitar Program. He has served on the summer faculties of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Band Director Academy, the Birch Creek Music Center and still serves as a clinician for The Essentially Ellington Organization.

Haydon received the 2004 Woody Herman Award from the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Door County, Wisconsin. In 2006 he released a recording titled Rick Haydon and John Pizzarelli ‘Just Friends’ for Mel Bay Records that reached 15 on the Jazz Week Top 100 charts. His most recent CD is “4” on Jazz Compass with Clay Jenkins, Gary Hobbs, and Reggie Thomas.

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Brett Stamps, Professor Emeritus, was the first director of jazz studies at SIUE. He laid the foundation for what the jazz program is today. Haydon was the first graduate of the program, and eventually became a professor at SIUE, helping to further strengthen the program. Together and individually, the Department recognizes that the two have impacted countless aspiring musicians.

Stamps will also be in attendance to direct the SIUE Concert Jazz Band in a performance of one of his original compositions.

On Feb. 6, the SIUE performers travel to St. Louis for “An Evening with the Chancellor at Jazz St. Louis,” a special gathering of SIUE alumni and supporters.

“Together, we'll celebrate how SIUE is driving student success, empowering faculty, and building strong partnerships that impact our region in meaningful ways,” said Cathy Taylor, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Alumni & Donor Relations.

The evening promises a night of lively jazz among a vibrant SIUE community.

Jost, who has recently returned from a successful U.S. and Europe tour, adds, “I have so many great musical and personal memories from my time at SIUE and I’m looking forward to making more with this great band.”

For questions, contact the SIUE Office of Alumni & Donor Relations at 618-650-2760 or siuealumni@siue.edu.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Home to a diverse student body, SIUE is situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis.

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