The music department at Missouri Western State University will host the sixth annual MWSU Jazz Festival all day Saturday, Feb. 11.

Events are scheduled in the Fulkerson Center and the Blum Student Union.

The public is invited, and there is no admission.

The festival includes adjudicated performances and clinics for area high school groups.  It will conclude with a brief performance by the MWSU Jazz Ensemble under the director of Bob Long at 6 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center.

During the concert, individual performance awards for the day will be announced.

”The focus of the festival is to be an educational and musical experience for students and directors alike,” said Long, director of jazz studies.

Area high school instrumental and vocal groups will perform a set for adjudicators, who will immediately conduct a brief clinic for the group, working on specific areas of the performance. Instrumental groups will begin to perform at 8 a.m. in the Fulkerson Center. Vocal groups will start at 1 p.m. in the Hoff Conference Room, Blum 219. Adjudicators are Dick Redman of Pella, Iowa, and Doug Talley of Overland Park, Kan., in the instrumental room, and Ryan Howe of Creston, Iowa and Kathleen Holeman of St. Joseph in the vocal room.

Students will also have the opportunity to attend clinics for their specific instruments, conducted by Western instrumental music faculty. Master class instructors are Lee Harrelson on the trombone, Stephen Molloy on the trumpet, Mark Elting on percussion and Long on saxophone.

For more information, contact the music department at 816-271-4420, or email [email protected].