September 9, 2019

SVSU kicks off Rhea Miller Concert Series with jazz saxophonist Clark Gibson

Saginaw Valley State University will host jazz saxophonist Clark Gibson for a concert Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall as part of SVSU’s Rhea Miller Concert Series.

The concert, “Bird with Strings: Music of Charlie Parker,” will feature arrangements composed for Charlie Parker, a famous American jazz saxophonist. Local musicians will accompany Gibson for the performance.

Gibson is a composer and director of jazz studies as well as an assistant professor of saxophone at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma.

While being an in-demand adjudicator and clinician, Gibson has also taught students privately and performed with The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Jim Knapp Orchestra, and more.

Gibson recorded original compositions for his albums "lapetus" in 2010, "Old Style Sextet" in 2014 and "Bird with String: The Lost Arrangements" in 2016. Gibson's latest album, "Tri-Colored Eyes," was released Sept. 3.

"Old Style Sextet" came in second place at the International Cotai Jazz and Blues Festival Competition in Macau, China. "The Lost Arrangements" received positive reviews from radio and print publications, including DownBeat magazine. 

In his SVSU concert, Gibson will perform various selections including arrangements from “Bird with Strings.”

The Rhea Miller Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from Rhea E. Miller, a longtime friend of SVSU. Her gift, administered by the Miller Trust for Music Education, has provided the university with the opportunity to offer outstanding performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed musical artists at no cost to the audience since 1993.

For more information, call SVSU's Department of Music at (989) 964-4159 or email music@svsu.edu.