Doors open at 7 p.m.

The WSU Jazz Invitational will culminate in a headline concert featuring renowned jazz artists Pat Bianchi on organ and Dan Wilson on guitar, performing with WSU’s Jazz Arts 1 Ensemble and the Mid-Kansas Jazz Ensemble, the region’s only auditioned high school honor jazz band.

Grammy-nominated organist Pat Bianchi has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. In recent years, his trio has opened for Steely Dan. In addition to being a prolific bandleader, Bianchi was a longtime member of the trio led by the late guitar icon Pat Martino and the NEA Jazz Master Lou Donaldson’s Quartet. He has also held tenured roles in the bands of several revered jazz artists, including Joe Locke, Chuck Loeb and Ralph Peterson Jr.

Dan Wilson’s musical identity has been shaped by gospel, blues, traditional jazz and hip-hop. He performed to international acclaim with Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride’s Tip City and earned a Grammy nomination for DeFrancesco’s album Project Freedom. In 2023, Wilson released his fourth album, Things Eternal, which received critical acclaim worldwide and led to a tour of major festivals in the United States and abroad.

Join us for this stellar event as jazz greats perform alongside the next generation of musicians.

All online orders will be available at the will-call line at 6:30 p.m. at the box office inside the Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Parking is available on the west side of the center. You may also pick up your tickets in advance at the Fine Arts Box Office. Box office hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Temporary box office parking is available on Duerksen Circle Drive.

Tickets are $40.

Student tickets are $20 with a valid school ID and must be purchased in person at the main box office during open hours (10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday), over the phone, or at the box office on the night of the event (opens at 6:30 p.m.).

WSU students may request one free ticket in advance by visiting the link below or by requesting it in person at the Fine Arts Box Office.

Tickets for purchase here