Cincinnati native Michael R. Dudley Jr. to perform at famous Newport Jazz Festival
A Greater Cincinnati native will soon perform on a major stage.
Michael R. Dudley Jr., a composer, trumpet player and educator from West Chester, will perform an adapted compilation of his work at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, on Sunday, July 31. He will take the festival's fountain stage with trio members Eliza Salem and Robert Papacica.
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They will also perform Dudley's recent composition, "Overture to The Before And After Times," which won him a 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.
Dudley, who focuses on explorations of emotion, ideology and imagery in music, is one of 21 recipients of this year's jazz award.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation established the award in 2002 to encourage gifted jazz composers under 30.
"I was very happy to get that kind of recognition, especially being the person chosen to play at the festival. I mean, it's an amazing honor. This experience already has been beyond my wildest expectations. I'm just really thrilled to have that validation that I'm moving in the right direction with my art," Dudley said.
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Who is Michael R. Dudley Jr.?
Dudley graduated from Lakota East High School and the University of Cincinnati, where he studied music production at the College-Conservatory of Music. He then studied jazz trumpet performance at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, where he received the Harry Glantz Memorial Scholarship and Henry Mancini Fellowship.
Dudley currently serves as a visiting assistant professor of jazz studies at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. He also works as an instructor and recording engineer at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy in Aspen, Colorado.
Dudley credits his family, peers, mentors and Potsdam community as some of his biggest musical inspirations. He said he seeks to make the world a better place through his music, one listener at a time.
For more information about Dudley, visit his website.
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What is the Newport Jazz Festival?
The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island.
American socialite Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954 with her husband, Louis Lorillard, a former United States Army lieutenant. The Lorillards supported the festival until 1961.
The 2022 Newport Jazz Festival takes place July 29-31 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. The festival is typically during the same month as the Newport Folk Festival.
Visit the Newport Jazz Festival website for more information.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati native to perform at famous Newport Jazz Festival
