Division of Jazz Studies

Dear Friends of the One O’Clock Lab Band,

Greetings from the UNT College of Music and the Division of Jazz Studies! As you may have heard, our One O'Clock Lab Band has been invited to tour Australia in May 2016. This is the professional development opportunity of a lifetime, as our musicians will assist in leading concerts and clinics at the James Morrison Academy, perform for thousands of jazz students from all across Australia as featured headliner at the Generations in Jazz Festival, and collaborate with numerous jazz professionals and jazz orchestras from Australia and around the world.

We last toured Australia in 1986 under the direction of Neil Slater. It was an experience that helped to launch careers for our alumni, including: former One O’Clock Lab Band director Steve Wiest; Dave Pietro, a jazz saxophonist who recorded with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra; Mike Williams, Count Basie Orchestra's lead trumpet since 1987; and Tony Scherr, a bassist who has recorded with Bill Frisell.

We are receiving support from our Australian partners, and have raised more than 50% of the remaining costs. Our goal is to raise $70,000 in the month of April to fund our travel costs, which will be matched by the UNT College of Music. We need your help to meet this goal! All contributions will allow for our students to receive an otherwise impossible experience that may help establish their careers. I'd like to introduce you to some of our students who would benefit from the life changing opportunity your gift provides:

Garrett Wingfield MM Jazz Composition Bari Sax "I'm looking forward to collaborating with Australian musicians and getting to know people who are equally as invested in jazz…I'm excited to understand the logistics of the tour...and to have my compositions/arrangements performed by the band!"	John Sturino BM Jazz Studies ’16 Drumset "We'll be sharing our love of jazz with a plethora of students and artists alike …and hopefully opening doors to future engagements …touring a continent with a big band seems like a rarity in this day and age...it won’t be taken for granted."	Nicholas Olynciw BM jazz Studies ‘16 Piano This trip is perfectly tailored to my career goals. It will give me the opportunity to teach young, aspiring jazz musicians, perform throughout the country with my peers, and make new connections with prolific musicians and educators.

Your gift makes a momentous difference in the professional lives of Garrett, John, Nicholas, and all the One O’Clock musicians. Please consider making a gift by April 30, 2016 to aid in the professional development and cultural experience of our students. No donation is too small, and any household budget can make a donation! Simply click here to donate, or mail a check made out to UNT Foundation with Music Australia Tour in the memo line to:

University of North Texas
College of Music – Development
1155 Union Circle #311367
Denton, TX 76205

Thank you in advance for your generosity. We are constantly grateful for the passion our alumni show for the continued growth of our students. If you have any questions about our One O’Clock Australia Tour campaign, contact Erin Smith at (940) 565-2243 or Erin.Smith@unt.edu.

Sincerely,

John Murphy
Chair of the Division of Jazz Studies