The North Lake Campus Jazz Festival got off to a big start with an event that brought internationally acclaimed musicians to campus to work with student artists. The halls echoed with beautiful music and brought new people to campus to hear live music April 10 and 11.

The festival was more than just a concert; it was a place to learn. High school and college students attended many workshops throughout the two-day event. They developed improvisation skills, learned better ways to practice on their instruments and skills that will help them in their future jobs.

Dr. Luis Palacios organized the event. He leads the jazz studies program at North Lake and is a professional saxophonist. Palacios has performed music for 18 years. Among his many credits, he has performed at Carnegie Hall and appeared on a PBS television show.

“I got to Dallas North Lake a year ago and I said, ‘we’ve got to do this, because I can’t believe they’re not,’ and so we did it,” Palacios said. He believes that studying jazz helps students learn creativity.

Trombonist John Fedchock was one of the featured guest artists. He began his career touring with the Woody Herman Orchestra and went on to serve as musical coordinator and chief arranger for the orchestra, resulting in two Grammy Award nominations. He currently leads the John Fedchock New York Big Band (JFNYBB) and performs in smaller group projects.

Dennis Marks is a professional bassist who has performed at festivals around the world and at the White House. He thought the North Lake Jazz Festival was off to a great start.

” I think it’s going to grow and become a very important event for the community,” said Marks, who was Palacios’ professor at the University of North Florida. Marks played with trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval for more than 20 years and performed on two Grammy Award-winning recordings. “Just keep practicing,” he told the students. “Keep listening and stay passionate about it. It’s a long journey, but it’s very rewarding.”

The North Lake Jazz Ensemble performed at the event too. The students practiced for many weeks and they played with great energy and skill.

Aliya Ibrihim quote here …

The second night of the event, state Rep. Terry Meza (D-Irving) presented North Lake President, Dr. Rick Smith, an official proclamation praising North Lake Campus and the North Lake Jazz Festival for its contributions to the community.

This was the first jazz festival at North Lake; however, it will not be the last. The college plans to host this event every year.

“We had a hundred and something high school kids here and they loved it. So, I’ve already gotten in contact with 13 high schools that want to participate next year,” Palacios said. “And every year we’re going to bring in some famous, well-known, world-renowned players like this year.”