NMU Jazz Festival: Thursday & Friday, April 12-13, 2018 AIMEE NOLTE!

The NMU Jazz Festival will be held on the beautiful campus of Northern Michigan University on Thursday and Friday, April 12-13, 2018. High school and middle school jazz bands and combos in the region are invited to participate. There is a $250 entry fee for each participating ensemble (additional ensembles from the same school can register for $100). Space is limited. The registration deadline is March 2, 2018. Click HERE for more information and printable (PDF) registration materials.

This year's event will feature Aimee Nolte, an outstanding pianist and vocalist based out of Los Angeles, California. Originally from the small town of Weaverville, CA, Aimee started playing piano and singing at age 5 and began playing professionally at age 14. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a music degree and emphasis in jazz in 1998. For the next couple of years, Aimee resided in New York City before moving to the LA area in 2001 where she now resides and is the happy mother of 4 children. She continues to play and sing regularly all over Los Angeles County.

Aimee has had the opportunity to perform with jazz greats such as John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Ken Peplowski, Frank Vignola, and Lenny White, among others. Her own groups - The Aimee Nolte Trio (with Mike Scott and Roger Shew), and her duo, "Skirt & Suit (with Joshua Payne on guitar) - stay busy with regular gigs around the LA area.

January 2006 marked the release of her first album, Up Til Now. She sang, played piano and harmonica, and wrote and produced all of the tracks on this recording. In 2010, Aimee released her second album with guitarist Hideaki Tokunaga entitled, Just Us. Aimee composed 7 of the CD's 11 tracks, and co-wrote 2 others.

In addition to her activities as a performer, Aimee is also a passionate and dedicated music educator, and she has had a particularly significant impact on the worldwide web over the last couple of years. Her online YouTube jazz education channel now has nearly 100,000 subscribers! Check it out!

For additional information about Aimee Nolte, please visit her website: www.aimeenolte.com. We are very pleased that she will be joining us for the NMU Jazz Festival this year in Marquette!