Touch of Blue Contemporary Jazz Concert

May 1st 2025
Allison Gaines, Touch of Blue: New American Vocal Ensemble

This grant aided with Touch of Blue’s semester-long project and final concert at the University of Michigan Museum of Art that highlights new arrangements and compositions by contemporary vocal jazz artists. The goal of Touch of Blue’s concert was to highlight contemporary jazz composers and bring attention to the importance of uplifting vocalists, composers, and artists of color. The concert consisted of solos and group arrangements by contemporary composers, with a hired six-piece instrumental section to further diversify the programmed setlist. The concert also featured student art installations and live projections that supplement the pieces being performed.

December 15th 2023
Lucy Koukoudian, Touch of Blue

This year, Touch of Blue has made it a goal to produce various audio, visual, and multimedia projects. Our first project was Touch of Blue Presents: Come Sunday. The ensemble recorded and produced a music video and cover single of Duke Ellington’s jazz classic, “Come Sunday". The piece is a staple in Touch of Blue’s repertoire, and the ensemble hoped that in releasing a music video, we can spread the work we have done in jazz music, beyond our regular concert settings. In order to produce this project, Touch of Blue used funding to hire a studio facilitator, a camera crew, and a video editor for the single and music video recording sessions.

January 27th 2023
Lucy Koukoudian, Touch of Blue

Touch of Blue: New American Vocal Ensemble is a group of all-student musicians who have a passion for creating and performing new music for vocal artists and beyond. This concert features five new compositions–written by Kenyon Duncan, Harry Baker, Karen Jane Ludwig, Jerome Walker, and Harry Castle–the combination of their music being a reflection of their unique perspectives, experiences, and creative voices.

December 6th 2019
Cinderella Ksebati, Blue Note Vocal Jazz

BlueNote Vocal Jazz Ensemble is comprised of 15 members who have a passion for exploring new music and performing in new innovative ways. The group works towards one main performance at the end of each semester, and makes guest appearances on other departmental concerts as well as participating in outreach events scattered throughout the year. They strive to collaborate across different artistic disciplines of art, technology, and music to create meaningful experiences for the members involved, but also to revitalize the “attending jazz concert” experience in a new way for students of the 21st century to appreciate as well as the community. BlueNote’s purpose is to help cultivate creative thinking, musical exploration, and a lifetime appreciation of Jazz music. Their inaugural concert took place in December.