Jazz Festival
Annual Jazz Concert
Each year at the end of January, the Music Department presents the annual University of Mary Jazz Festival – bringing hundreds of students from across the region to campus. Over the years, our ensembles have shared the stage with world-renowned guest artists, including Jeff Coffin, Don Ellis, Jon Faddis, Kevin Mahogany, Tom "Bones" Malone, Bob Mintzer, Terrell Stafford, Nestor Torez, Bill Watrous, Kenny Werner, and The New York Voices. Bringing artists to campus allows our student musicians the opportunity to perform alongside and learn from some of the world's best jazz performers and educators.
The University of Mary Jazz Festival was founded in 1974 by Ernie Borr. It has become an honored tradition for the University of Mary Music Department and the Bismarck/Mandan community. We invite the public to attend any of the participating schools' performances.
Annual Jazz Festival: January 30 & 31, 2026
Jazz Fest Concert
Date: January 31, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Belle Mehus Auditorium
Cost: $15 - Available for purchase at Eckroth Music or online.
Guest Artists
Dave Barduhn’s professional life began during the Johnson administration (LBJ, not Andrew!) by singing children’s roles for the Seattle Opera Association. He retired in 2012 after 30 years of teaching music (primarily vocal and instrumental jazz groups) at Mt. Hood CC in Gresham, OR, where his groups earned eight prestigious “db” awards from Downbeat magazine. He is an extensively published composer/ arranger for both Hal Leonard and Anchor publications. On occasion, he could be seen playing piano with several Stan Kenton Alumni Bands, as well as with a few jazz singers, including Mark Murphy, Ernie Andrews, Diane Reeves, and Diane Schuur, etc.
Barduhn now spends his time as a freelance conductor and arranger. He is currently directing an adult jazz choir in Seattle – The BlueStreet Voices. In recent years, Barduhn has directed all-state jazz ensembles in California, Colorado, and Oklahoma.
Elaine Burt career has taken her across the globe performing with various bands and artists. During her 23 years in New York City, she performed in more than 20 Broadway shows, appeared on national television programs, participated in studio recording sessions and played with premier jazz orchestras, including the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Ed Palermo Big Band.
She has shared the stage with renowned artists like Reba McEntire, Idina Menzel and Audra McDonald as well as jazz greats such as Bob Mintzer, Clark Terry, Byron Stripling and John Pizzarelli. Burt has toured extensively with Paul Anka and is a proud member of the band for the Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR. Most recently, she had the honor of teaching students at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Academy in New York City. Burt enjoys bringing her joy for music to students of all ages while guiding them on their journey of musical exploration. Burt currently resides in Minneapolis, MN, where she continues to play professionally and inspires the next generation of musicians.
Jamond McCoy is a vocalist, music director, keyboardist, and educator from Long Beach, CA. He serves as the director of commercial and vocal jazz at California Baptist University, and is an adjunct professor at Cerritos College, where he teaches voice and directs the gospel choir.
McCoy also music directs for multiple churches across Orange County, arranges for gospel choirs across the greater Los Angeles area, and songwrites and music directs for independent artists in LA. As a session musician, he has been featured in the choir on blockbuster films such as The Color Purple (2023).
McCoy is the baritone of world-renowned vocal jazz group M•PACT and has toured three continents with the group as a featured soloist and contributing arranger.
Gregory Fletcher is a versatile, award-winning artist thriving in the greater Los Angeles area. Originally from California’s Inland Empire, he performs across genres including R&B, jazz, gospel, pop, classical, musical theater and folk. Fletcher has appeared around the world, at Super Bowl LIV, in Miami, FL, including St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. He has worked alongside world-renowned artists including Chance The Rapper, The Weeknd, John Legend, Dan & Shay, Reba McEntire, Lauren Daigle, Hozier, Björk, Shoshana Bean, Scott Hoying, Kurt Elling and Michael Bublé.
Fletcher works as a SAG-AFTRA session singer in Los Angeles, participating in onfilm commercial and television spots, as well as recording vocals for television, video games and featured motion pictures. He can be heard on Fortnite’s Winterfest 2021 Lobby Track “Loot In The Mountains,” on films such as Wicked, Sing 2, Avatar 2 & 3, Pixar’s Turning Red, and Space Jam: A New Legacy, in addition to television shows like Midnight Mass, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Dear White People, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Wednesday, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett.
Fletcher tours with M•PACT and the Grammy award-winning ensemble Conspirare, and currently teaches music history and private voice at California Baptist University.
Pete Whitman is a saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger and educator based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. As a freelance musician, Whitman performs in a wide range of musical styles and contexts that include Jazz, Classical, Pop, dance bands, etc. He has performed with such distinguished groups as the Minnesota Orchestra, Jack McDuff, Curtis Fuller, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the JazzMN Big Band, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Kavyesh Kaviraj, Mississippi and The Hornheads.
Whitman has released three albums under his name: Departure Point (Igmod Records), The Sound of Water (Artegra), and Where’s When (Artegra). Where’s When features the Pete Whitman X-tet, a ten-piece ensemble, which received a fourstar rating by DownBeat magazine. Two of his most recent recording projects include Mississippi (Shifting Paradigm Records) and Changes We Can Believe In by the Pete Whitman/Chris Olson Quintet (Bandcamp). Whitman has also served as an associate musical director for the JazzMN Orchestra since 2023.
Whitman’s experience as an educator includes 18 years at McNally Smith College of Music teaching saxophone, improvisation, arranging and directing the McNally Smith Jazz Orchestra. Currently, Whitman is teaching at St. Olaf College and Minnesota State University-Mankato.
Rich Woolworth, a native of Brookings, SD, taught public school music at all levels, directed award-winning jazz ensembles, and served as a respected clinician and adjudicator for district and state music events. In 1988, he co-founded the South Dakota All-State Jazz Festival. His dedication to music education and performance earned him recognition within professional organizations such as the South Dakota Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, the International Trombone Association, and ASCAP.
Beyond his teaching career, Woolworth served over 26 years in the 147th United States Army Band of the South Dakota National Guard, where he was Trombone Section Leader, Staff Arranger, and Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of “The Top Brass” the band’s jazz ensemble. He led “The Top Brass” on two successful overseas deployments and was awarded The Army Achievement Medal, The Army Commendation Medal, and The Meritorious Service Medal for his efforts.
He later founded Fahrenheit Music, a music business based in Monticello, WI, continuing his lifelong commitment to advancing music in both educational and professional settings.
