The Celebrity Big Band

Established in 1996, the JazzWorks Big Band counts among its players some of the Midwest's most talented jazz musicians.  The Big Band performs regularly at civic functions, summer festivals and corporate events, and also records exclusively for Lorenz Publishing's jazz division, Heritage JazzWorks.

The JazzWorks Big Band has been features at such high=profile fundraisers as the Bal du Lac for the Milwaukee Art Museum, American Cancer Society Ball, the grand re-opening of the Grand Avenue Mall in downtown Milwaukee, and most recently, the grand opening of the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin.  A regular concert series is planned for the Big Band at the new Wilson Center beginning in summer, 2002. 
 

Listen to JazzWorks demos. Sample 1         Sample 2

Review a representative chart list for JazzWorks below.

Blair Bielawski, Artistic Director

Blair Bielawski directs the JazzWorks Big Band.  As a professional musician, he has performed with artists including Natalie Cole, Manhattan Transfer and Tony Bennett.  Under the pen name of Peter Blair, he has over fifty pieces in print for jazz ensembles at a variety of grade levels.  He has been commissioned by schools from across the nation to compose works for their ensembles.

As creative director for Heritage JazzWorks, a division of the nationally recognized school music publisher, Lorenz Corporation, Mr. Bielawski conducts regular recording sessions with the JazzWorks Big Band.

As a clinician and educator, Mr. Bielawski has presented dozens of successful workshops and clinics for music teachers in the U.S., Canada and England.  Topics for these sessions have included: teaching improvisation in the rehearsal setting; technique balance, intonation and aural skills at the elementary and middle school level; and ways to apply a business model to a school music program.

Maria Bartolotta

Listen to Phil Olson.

The Celebrity Big Band