SSU/Redwood Empire Jazz Festival 2025
February 14, 2025
Weill Hall, Green Music Center
The SSU/Redwood Empire Jazz Festival is a competitive and educational event open to middle school. high school and junior college big bands and jazz combos. Trophies will be awarded to the top three bands of each class. Each band will receive taped and written comments, a 30-minute clinic from a renowned jazz educator, and a video of their performance. Top soloists from each band will be recognized with certificates. The SSU jazz faculty will provide additional rolling clinics and the SSU Jazz Orchestra will perform around lunchtime. Sign your band up at the link below!
All performances and faculty clinics are free and open to the public.
Apply to the SSU/Redwood Empire Jazz Festival
(Due by January 17, 2025)
Adjudicators
Michael Galisatus
Michael Galisatus is the director of the Stanford University Jazz Orchestra, the Stanford Jazz Workshop “Miles Ahead” Big Band, and professor emeritus at the College of San Mateo. Mr.Galisatus has produced award winning jazz and symphonic groups since 1980 and has been the recipient of various teaching honors including the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Jazz Educator of the year, The CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Jazz Educator Award,The Peninsula Arts Council Arts Educator of the Year, the Otter Distributors 2004 Jazz Educator Award for the state of California, the California PTA Honorary Service Award, and the CMEABay Section Gil Freitas Memorial Award for music education. As conductor of the Stanford Live Orchestra, Michael has had the honor of conducting orchestral productions for Gregory Porter, Rufus Wainwright, and Ann Hampton Callaway.
Mr. Galisatus is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the western United States, including organizations such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, California Alliance for Jazz, and a host of others. In addition, Mr. Galisatus has presented workshops abroad, including Japan, China, Norway, Mexico, and Canada.
As a freelance trumpeter in the San Francisco Bay Area, has recorded with Pete Escovedo, andQueen Ida, and has performed with a variety of artists including Dianne Reeves, Tito Puente,Sheila E., Louis Bellson, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Washington, Paula West, BarryManilow, Michael Feinstein, Mel Tormé, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, Malo,the Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and many others.
Jeff Jarvis
Jeff Jarvis comes from a family of music educators and has distinguished himself as a trumpeter, composer, professor and music publisher. Jeff is an S.E. Shires trumpet artist and has served as Director of Jazz Studies at the Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University Long Beach since 2005. As a trumpet soloist, adjudicator and clinician, Jeff makes frequent appearances at educational jazz festivals, jazz camps, and music education conferences.
Jeff Jarvis composes commissions for school, military, and professional big bands and pops orchestras. He has composed and/or arranged over 175 published works for Kendor Music, Belwin Jazz, iJazzMusic, and UNC Jazz Press. He co-authored The Jazz Educators Handbook with Doug Beach (which is also translated in Japanese), The Chord Voicing Handbook with Matt Harris, and Effective Etudes For Jazz, Volumes 1 & 2 with Mike Carubia. As a conductor, Jeff has led honors jazz ensembles in 39 states and 4 Canadian provinces. He is a Past President of the California Alliance for Jazz, served as Vice-President of the International Association for Jazz Education, Music Director of the Central New York Jazz Orchestra from 1998-2005, and was co-owner of Kendor Music Publishing from 1985-2015. Jarvis is a member of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and is a Gold Medal winner in the Global Music Awards, an international arts organization that recognized him in 2019 with a special award for "Lifetime Contributions to Jazz and Jazz Education."
Jeff’s solo recordings as a jazz trumpeter and composer have won critical acclaim and placed high on national air play charts. His early career as a studio trumpeter encompasses over 100 R&B and disco recordings for such names as Lou Rawls, Michael Jackson, Melba Moore, The O’Jays and more. Live performance credits include Gladys Knight, Van Morrison, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Bellson, Joe Williams, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Henry Mancini, Slide Hampton, Kevin Mahogany, Grady Tate, Eddie Daniels, Rob McConnell, and Doc Severinsen.
Jeff has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Indonesia. He has been a featured guest soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Denver Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, USAF Airmen of Note, US Army Jazz Ambassadors, US Army Blues, Jazz Knights of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, USAF Commanders Jazz Band, USAF Shades of Blue, Riverside Jazz Orchestra, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Oslo Big Band (Norway), Frank Mantooth Jazz Orchestra, Tom Kubis Big Band, and more.
Jeanne Geiger
Jeanne Geiger, a California Bay Area native, is proud to be a member of the greater music scene for over 20 years. She completed a BA in music performance (2002) and MA in music composition (2007) from California State University, East Bay. She has performed with numerous groups including: Sheila E, Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy, Deltron 3030, Lyrics Born, Green Day, Ozomatli, Joan Osborne, 10,000 Maniacs, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Gladys Knight, The Coup, The Dells, Roy Ayers, The O’Jays, KSDS Jazz 88.3 Orchestra, Jazz Mafia, Dave Eshelman’s Jazz Garden Big Band, Ray Brown Great Big Band, Dave Brubeck Big Band, Maza Cote, Michael Feinstein Jazz Orchestra, Johnny Mathis Orchestra, JSoul, Brass Mafia, The Uptones, Dynamic, among many others. She has also toured and/or recorded with the groups: Birdland All-Stars, Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy, Sheila E, Deltron 3030, and more.
Her compositions have been recorded and performed by schools such as CSU Fresno, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Adam’s Middle School, and CSU East Bay. She has played for many different theatrical works including SHN’s Broadway productions of Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, Annie, White Christmas, as well as numerous Broadway productions for over 10 years with the Contra Costa Musical Theater Company.
Recent composing/arranging projects have included: Joan Osborne’s Soul Revue at Stern Grove, Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy: The Music of Steely Dan, Deltron 3030 Live Orchestra, Roy Ayers with the Jazz Mafia Symphony, Jazz Mafia Symphony (Emperor Norton Suite), Lyrics Born (Tribute to Curtis Mayfield & James Brown), Heartical Roots, Fay Carol with Adams Middle School, Zoe Presley with the Bay Area Composers Big Band. Other studio work has included Sekai No Owari produced by Dan the Automator, The New Broadway Cast Recording of A Chorus Line, Tiger Club, Rupa and the April Fishes, Anais Croze’s The Love Album produced by Dan the Automator, U-Roy, The Influents, and Pinhead Gunpowder. She recently was an instructor of Jazz Trombone at CSU East Bay. Other recent educational work has included Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Workshop, Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Camp, University of Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, Heritage High School, Palm Desert Charter Middle School, and Solano County Honor Jazz Band. She is currently working on a brand new original music project Teeny Tiger. Jeanne now plays Michael Rath Trombones exclusively.
Kasey Knudsen
Kasey Knudsen, a San Francisco-based saxophonist, composer, and educator, holds a BA in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music. Hailed as "one of the region's most esteemed saxophonists" (SF Classical Voice, 2018) and "an essential voice in the Bay Area jazz scene" (East Bay Express, 2014), she was named among "10 Female Instrumentalists Who Redefine Jazz" (Paste Magazine, 2016) and voted "One of the Best Female Jazz Musicians in the East Bay" (CBS SF, 2013).
Knudsen has received commissions from the San Jose Jazz 'New Works Festival', Intersection For the Arts, and the California Jazz Conservatory's Emerging Artist Series. She also earned InterMusic SF's Small Chamber Music Grant (2020) and showcased her compositions at the De Young Museum.
Leading and co-leading various projects, including the Schimscheimer Family Trio, The Kasey Knudsen Quintet and Sextet, the Holly Martins, the Klaxon Mutant Allstars, and many more, Knudsen frequently collaborates with many of the Bay Area's most prominent musicians.
Festival Schedule
TBA