The Franklin College Music Department is hosting a Jazz Festival for local high school students on Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m. followed by a guest artist recital starting at 7:30 p.m. The festival will be hosted in the Clarence C. and Inez R. Custer Theatre inside Old Main located at on the corner of Branigin Boulevard and Monroe Street.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Students in full-band ensembles will have the opportunity to perform and receive lessons from Franklin College professors and visiting professional jazz musician Kelleen Strutz, allowing students to be exposed to jazz artistry. The Jazz Festival’s concluding faculty recital will feature lecturer of music theory and applied woodwinds Jonathan Rice, D.M.A.; Professor of Music and Director of Band and Brass studio Randy Greenwell, M.A. and Strutz.

“The fact that this has never been done on campus was extremely appealing to me. The Jazz Festival is important because it can show students a deeper connection to music, and it can show students how music really works,” said Rice.

Strutz is a graduate of Butler University, acquiring bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance. She is also an acclaimed recording artist, vocalist, music arranger and instructor. Strutz specializes in performing jazz standards and bossa novas. She has accompanied several accomplished artists and orchestras in live performances and recordings.

Strutz was a featured guest artist through the Patricia Stevens Distinguished Guest Artist Series, provided by the Franklin Symphonic Council in 2024.

For more information, contact the Franklin College Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

By: Katie Thoman ’26

Franklin College Pulliam Fellow