The Festival before our 100th Year
Welcome to our 36 th Annual Jazz Festival. Our 2025 -26 season has been a celebration of artists from Pennsylvania. In the middle of the 20th century, the Pennsylvania Turnpike acted as circuit for touring musicians. An artery connecting the major cities of our state created, in each of those cities, a hot bed for musical thinking and creativity. Our concerts have worked their way from west to east on that circuit. In the fall our students had a chance to work with legendary drummer Roger Humphries and bassist Dwayne Dolp hin hailing from Pittsburgh. The street that Roger lives on is now named after him. Any improviser within shouting distance of Pittsburgh calls Roger their musical father. Our festival continues the eastward movement with a stop in Harrisburg. Steve Ru dolph literally landed in Harrisburg off a tour bus in the 1970’s. He immediately started one of the most impactful and successful jazz organizations of the late 20 th century, the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz. He always honored the musicians that were the li feblood of the region prior to his arrival, and acted as a shepherd for countless younger musicians, including me, to be a part of that larger family. For over a decade he has been playing monthly with the Harrisburg Jazz Collective, a big band of musicia ns from all over the state and surrounding metropolitan areas. In its fourth season, and now: a word from our friends lecture series featured Diane Monroe. Diane’s role in creative music in Pennsylvania and beyond is unprecedented. A Pew Fellow, composer, performer, and truly inspiring cross -genre improviser, Diane is a gift to us all. She begins our final stop east on the turnpike: our home region, the greater Philadelphia area. Our headlining concert of the festival presents two Philadelphia institutions : Joanna Pascale and John Swana. When planning for the season, I could think of no two people who better represent the vast array of jazz music in Philadelphia, who have done more for students, and who continue to connect generations of musicians.
In the 1926 -27 school year , a new dance band was formed on West Chester’s campus, the Johnnie Smith Orchestra. This band changed names twice in the next four years. First calling themselves the ‘Purple and Gold Dance Band’ and in 1932, Larry Gint ner reorganized the band that brough t the best of the best together, feeling that the sound of the band was so good it should be labeled as the criterion In the fall of 2026, we will celebrate 100 years of the Criterions, the longest running band of its kind in the United States. The celebration will include the current Criterions, an all -star alumni band, and alumni dance band, a soiree, and one of the world’s leading musical voices, vibraphonist Stefon Harris. There will be premieres of new commissioned works by Bo b Mintzer, Orrin Evans and our own Bob Curnow. I am honored to usher the Criterions into their second century, expanding our impact in the community and for our students. I thank you for your support of this festival and look forward to your support for o ur celebration in November of this year.
Jonathan Ragonese Director of Jazz Studies
Concert Schedule
Wednesday March 18th, 2026
12:00pm Student Showcase: Elliot Stowman 7:30pm WCU Faculty Jazz Concert
Thursday March 19th, 2026
12:00pm Diane Monroe
7:30pm State of Affairs – Central: The Harrisburg Jazz Collective
Friday March 20th, 2026
7:30pm Philadelphia’s Finest Meet the Criterions: Joanna Pascale & John Swana
Saturday March 21st, 2026
10:00am – 4:00pm High School Jazz Festival
The WCU Friends of Jazz Celebrates The Criterions @100
A donation to the fund directly fuels student success. The growth of the program, future larger projects, and celebrations like this are not possible without you. Thank you to our current Friends!To become a member and contribute, use the QR code . Our 2026 -27 season is dedicated to fundraising for our future. We thank Kristin Moyer Higgins (’83) for her generous pledge of $100,000 in honor of 100 years!
Performers
Elliot Stowman Sextet is a jazz ensemble made up of students at West Chester University. The musicians come from a variety of backgrounds, academic majors, and musical influences but come together to share their passion for jazz, improvisation, and creativity. All members perform in the University’s premier jazz ensemble th e ‘Criterions Jazz Ensemble’. This septet serves as a smaller, more intimate group that explores jazz standards, student arrangements, and original compositions in a small -group setting.
Diane Monroe , a native Philadelphian, is a violinist whose versatility and expressive artistry consistently bring both jazz and classical audiences to their feet. Her visibility as a jazz artist began with her long -standing membership as first violinist of the Uptown String Quartet and the Max Roach Double Quartet. In 2018, Ms. Monroe won both a Pew Fellowship, and a Pew Project grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The Pew Project grant funded her 2019 project, Violin Woman, African Dreams. Concurrently, Vibe s, and her orchestration of Fred Rogers’ You Are Special, will appear on the Sony Classical Records soundtrack recording for the film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. Recently, Ms. Monroe has performed in ensembles led by Odean Pope (Sounds of the Circle Project funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage), Bobby Zankel’s Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Dave Allen’s residency ensemble at the Kimmel Center, and with Tony Miceli, vibraphonist, (their duo CD, “Alone Together”). Monroe’s jazz quartet with Miceli has performed at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, D.C. Other collaborations include performances with Dancer/Choreographers, Germaine Ingram and Leah Stein/Leah Stein Dance Company, scoring Monroe’s original improvisations for violin with movement. During her four -year run with the String Trio of New York, she toured in concert with Joe Lovano, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Bang -On-A-Can All Stars, and literary artist, Quincy Troupe. She has also performed with Reg gie Workman, Mike Boone, Louis Nash, John Blake Jr., Tom Lawton, Jim Ridl, Regina Carter, Monnette Sudler, Avery Sharpe, Mark O’Connor, Da ve Grusin, Uri Caine, and Don Byron. Having won the coveted Pro Musicis Recital Award as a classical artist in 1983, M s. Monroe performed violin recital debuts at Merkin Hall, NY, Los Angeles’ Schoenberg Hall and County Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, D.C. , Pickman Hall, Boston MA. Other awards include the Distinguished Alumni Award from U.Arts, Wendy and Alan Pesky Award, a nd Pennsylvania Artists on Tour. Monroe’s ensemble membership includes the Kasimir and Beaumont String Quartets, Amabile Piano Quartet, Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, St. Lukes Chamber Players, Jupiter Symphony, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Concordia Orchestra, Relache Ensemble and Network for New Music.
Steve Rudolph has had an inspiring career for more than fifty years of professional musicmaking. Jazz Improv magazine states, “Rudolph is a savvy, swinging, glimmering heavyweight...simply outstanding.” He was awarded two Jazz Composition Fellowships from the PA Council on the Arts. With fourteen acclaimed CDs as a leader, he has served as producer, arranger and performer on many recordings including sessions with Johnny Coles, Bill Goodwin, Ali Ryerson, Matt Wilson, Drew Gress, Cal Collins, Jonathan Rago nese, Phil Haynes, Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin, JD Walter, Joe Hunt and Vinny Valentino. His vast experience encompasses concert performances with many jazz masters including: Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, Terry Gibbs, Al Grey, Mark Murphy, Scott Hamilto n and the Mills Brothers. Steve has toured throughout the U.S., India, Europe, Canada, Russia and the Caribbean. He was the recipient of the 2002 Harrisburg Arts Awardfor dedication to the arts and community service, and in 2023 he was inducted into the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. In 2025 Steve was awarded the Peacemakers in Our Midstby the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg. At home in Harrisburg, PA he is the leader of many ensembles including the Harrisburg Jazz Collective.
The 17 -piece ensemble of the Harrisburg Jazz Collective was founded in October of 2014 and is co -led by Steve Rudolph & trumpeter Bill Perbetsky. The players include the finest musicians from the area, performing music from the historic big band s like Ellington, Basie, and Dorsey to more modern bands like Budd y Rich, Thad Jones, Rob McConnell,Gordon Goodwin, and Bob Mintzer, as well as performing original music and arrangements from members and friends. They perform at West Shore Theater monthly.
Lyric is paramount for Philadelphia -based vocalist Joanna Pascale , who insists that she simply cannot perform a song unless she can connect personally with its lyrics. But once she’s found that connection, which she fortunately has with hundreds of songs from the Great American Songbook and beyond, there’s no one who ca n better convey the emotion of those words more directly and intimately than Pascale. That gift is in ample evidence on Pascale’s latest release, Wildflower. The recording of Wildflower coincided with the end of Pascale’s decade -long engagement at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, which allowed her to hone her voice, style, and vast repertoire. A singer of sophisticated taste, profound expressiveness, and raw emotion, Pascale is also a gifted educ ator who is a member of the vocal faculty at both Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. She is featured on trumpeter Jeremy Pelt’s Soul, saxophonist Tim Warfield’s Jazzy Christmas; Orrin Evans’ Liberation Blues, recorded live at New York Ci ty’s Smoke Jazz Club; Philly sax legend Larry McKenna’s From All Sides; Temple University Jazz Band’s Thad Jones tribute album To Thad With Love ; and That Music Always Round Me , a setting of Walt Whitman’s poetry by Garry Dial and Dick Oatts. Pascale attended Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and Temple University, where she is now a member of the faculty and has been featured on two of the university ’s CD releases. She made her recording debut with 2004’s When Lights Are Low, followed by the 2008 CD Through My Eyesand a 2010 duo recording with pianist Anthony Wonsey that focused on Songbook standards. With the 2015 release of Wildflower, she revealed her most personal and diverse collection to date, aptly named for allowing her talents to finally come into full bloom, a wildflower’s beauty emerging into the sunlight.
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, world -renowned trumpeter and EVI artist John Swana took up trumpet at the age of 11. He was drawn to jazz at the age of 17 after hearing Dizzy Gillespie, and the interest developed into a passion while he was in college. There he began transcribing the solos of Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis , and Tom Harrell. Swana has performed and/or toured with the Mingus Big Band and the Dave Holland Big Band, and he has also played with well -known jazz greats such as Don Patterson, Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Stanley Turrentine, Tim Warfield, Eric Alexander, Sam Newsome, Brad Mehldau, Peter Bernstein, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Bowen, Terrel Stafford, Seamus Blake, Robin Eubanks and many others. Swana has also been heard with Freddie Hubbard, Phil Woods, Ronnie Cuber, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, John Faddis, Slide Hampton, J.J. Johnson, Bob Minzer and Charlie Persip.
High School Jazz Festival
10:15am Wilson Area
10:40 PA Leadership Charter School Jazz Mavericks
11:05 Radnor
11:30 Pottsgrove HS Quantum Jazz Mechanics
11:55 Daniel Boone
12:20pm Neshaminy Jazz Ensemble
1:15 Criterions w. Joanna Pascale & John Swana
2:10 Upper Merion
2:35 Cherry Hill East
3:00 William Tennent
3:25 Neshaminy Jazz Band
4:10 Awards
Summer Jazz & Improvisation Camp @ WCU
Looking for an opportunity to grow as an aspiring jazz musician?
Whether students are beginners or advanced musicians, they can develop their jazz skills this summer at the West Chester University Jazz Camp. In addition to performing in ensembles, participants will explore the art of jazz improvisation, jazz styles, har mony and arranging, music technology, and jazz history.
• State-of-the-Art Wells School of Music facilities!
• Evening activities and concerts!
• Check our website for complete faculty listings and visiting artists.
July 12-17, 2026
Interested in supporting the Wells School of Music?
Scan the QR code and choose the ‘Friends of JazzFund' to direct your donation toward enhancing and sustaining our jazz programs, fostering future musical talent, and ensuring the continued success of the Wells School of Music’s jazz initiatives . For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or visitwcufoundation.org
A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream atVimeo.com/WSOM
Mr.Jonathan Lightcap, Director of Recording Services and Digital Media
Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT
If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.
The Wells School of Music | West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean