Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra will swing into Eisenhower Auditorium tonight for its fourth performance in State College.
Amy Vashaw, director of audience and program development at the Center for the Performing Arts, said tonight's event, which begins at 7:30, is expected to have a great turnout.
"Over 1,600 tickets have been sold already," she said, adding the full capacity of Eisenhower Auditorium is 2,500. "I do think that we will come pretty close to selling out."
This comes as no surprise to George Trudeau, director of the Center for the Performing Arts.
"Wynton Marsalis is one of the great musical talents of our time. He's most well known as a jazz trumpet player, although he has demonstrated tremendous versatility by recording classical," Trudeau said.
Marsalis' recent history has thrust him not only into national, but international fame, Trudeau said.
In addition to performing in concert, Marsalis is the artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center organization, Vashaw said.
She added the organization has "tons of educational facilities" in its home venue, Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City.
One program the Jazz at Lincoln Center organization runs is a national competition called Essentially Ellington, Vashaw said.
According to the Jazz at Lincoln Center Web site, Essentially Ellington is an innovative workshop in which high schools across the nation are invited to "spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances."
The State College Area High School has been invited to Essentially Ellington three times, said Richard Victor, the high school band director.
Victor said this is a great honor because "schools from all over the country send in recordings and 15 out of the whole country are selected."
Victor said Marsalis' "outreach to educators everywhere is fabulous. A large part of what he and the jazz orchestra do is the educational package, sharing the type of music they like with a new generation of kids."
Trudeau added an "artistic viewpoint" will take place one hour before the concert, during which students can get to know some of the performers and hear first-hand comments about the program.
Vashaw said the concert will consist of jazz music, though all selections may not be familiar to the audience. She added the pieces will most likely be announced from the stage.
"It's going to be a whole variety of pieces," she said. "They usually do a lot of jazz standards, but they will also do contemporary pieces."
Trudeau said students have an opportunity to see a great concert tonight and added his anticipation for the show is high.
"We're very excited to be bringing back Wynton Marsalis," he said. "He's always very popular, and the jazz orchestra is one of the most outstanding worldwide today. They are just going to give their usual great performance."
