New Year's Fest
A Celebration of the
Performing Arts
December 31st, 2022
2022 Jazz, Specialty & Classical Acts
Thank you to our 2022 New Year's Fest Jazz & Classical Acts.
Click the artists' name to learn more!
Location: First United Methodist Church
Times: 6:45pm, 8:30pm, 10:15pm
The Kalamazoo Big Band started 42 years ago playing Monday nights at the Whistle Stop, and has been going strong ever since! The 13 member band features the classic Swing and Jazz styles of Miller, Basie Ellington, and many many more. The band is under the direction of trumpeters Dave Wells and Tim Culver, and features some of the top musicians from across the state of Michigan.
Location: Radisson - Meadows
Times: 6pm, 8pm, 10pm
The Birdseed Salesmen perform familiar standards in the instrumental gypsy jazz tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli Their sound transports listeners to the cafes and phonographs of pre-World War II Europe, where swinging string bands filled rooms with the excitement of "hot club" jazz. Playing in a style that is both improvisational and recognizable, Helen Yee, Nathan Tabor, Jay Gavan and Denis Shebukhov—the Birdseed Salesmen—aim to provide the "douce ambiance" for any soiree.
Location: First Congregational Church
Times: 7:45pm, 9:30pm
The Bahar Ensemble will perform Middle-Eastern music, including Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish and Andalusian traditions, with Ahmed Tofiq, violin, Liz Youker, cello, Beau Bothwell, Oud and Bass, Dede Alder and Nicholas Baxter, percussion
Location: KNAC
Times: 6:45pm, 8:30pm, 10:15pm
Performance by Susan B. Anthony, soprano; Joanna Steinhauser, violin; Sophié van der Westhuizen, piano - spotlighting music written by female composers.
Location: First Congregational Church
Times: 7pm, 8:45pm, 10:30pm, 11:15pm
Samuel Nalangria is a folk/world musician, dancer, and choreographer who has been performing since his childhood. He is a multi-instrumentalist and a master at many traditional instruments. Get ready to dance and most importantly have fun as Samuel leads the way.