October 6, 2007

The quartet also includes Ross Pederson, drums; Jiri Levicek, piano; Cooper Appelt, bass.

The Ross Pederson Quintet - 5:15 pm
Members of the Ross Pederson Quintet have played all over the world, including Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, CzechRepublic, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The modern, progressive jazz group is mostly comprised of members of the much heralded One O' Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas, which is commonly hailed as the best college jazz band in the country, if not the world.

All members have been awarded Jazz Studies scholarships from the College of Music at North Texas, and some academic scholarships, as well.

Michelle Kiner- 6:30 PM

Michelle Kiner was born in Medina, a small town outside of Buffalo, NY. She grew up with a desire to sing since the age of five. Hailing from a musical family, her father was a bassist and pianist. That desire to sing was fed in the church choir where she served as director and president.

Michelle's youth and exuberance abounded to opportunities to be founder and director in both her Jr. & Sr.High School's gospel choruses. Learning the violin and the clarinet, she represented her high school in the All-City Orchestra. Michelle also participated in her high school's Radio Club, where she produced and announced her own Jazz show.

In an effort to fulfill her musical dream, Michelle participated in various plays and musical groups while in college. She sang Rock, R&B, and for a short time, Opera, which she studied while attending college in Albany, NY. Michelle completed her undergraduate studies, receiving her degree in Business Management.

Michelle's professional musical experience began in the Jazz Jam Sessions of Philadelphia. Through these events, Michelle was able to obtain musical advice from the likes of Tony Williams, Downtown Sonny Brown, Bootsie Barnes and Jimmy O'Dell, legendary musicians in the Philadelphia area. She was taken under the wing of pianist, Gene Rizzo, who taught her the value of studying the art and developing proper jazz form as a vocalist. Michelle acknowledges the continued support and tutorage of pianists Bernard Samuel and Jimmy Gaskins.

In January 2000, Michelle Kiner released her debut CD, Clear Days, to which she is Executive Producer.  Collaborating with well-known Producer Bill Jolly (former musical director for the Late Grover Washington, Jr.), the result is a music compilation that appeals to every taste and style. To add to her credits, Michelle has performed with legends such as Al Tinney (pianist for Billie Holiday), Jerome Hunter (bassist for Ella Fitzgerald), Lucky Thompson (drummer for Nina Simone), and vibraphonists Roy Ayers and Khan Jamal to name a few. Although Michelle's focus has been in the jazz realm, she is also very comfortable singing R&B, as well as Blues, and usually incorporates songs from those genres in her live performances.

Michelle Kiner's aspirations are to perform on the Jazz Circuit nationally and internationally. The ultimate goal at the end of this rainbow is having a recording deal that allows her the ability to make good music that appeals to the masses, as well as obtain more exposure globally.  She is presently working on material for her next CD and plans to expose her talents for writing and composing lyrics.

Music and Performance Schedule

4-4:45 p.m. -- Hildegunn Gjedrem Quartet
5:15-6 p.m. -- The Ross Pederson Quintet

6:30-8 p.m. -- Michelle Kiner

8:15-9 p.m. -- Sage