Featured Headliner

Paul Wertico and Friends

6:35pm

View Paul Wertico and Friends’ bio

Noon performance by Midwest Young Artists Merit Combo with Francisco Torres

The MYAC Merit Combo is an elite ensemble of Midwest Young Artists Conservatory’s exceptional Jazz Program: a comprehensive youth music program with opportunities for any student who wishes to deepen their knowledge of America’s great art form. Merit Combo students are selected based on notable ability and dedication. Merit Combo students have worked with such jazz luminaries as Matt Wilson and John Clayton, among others. Jazz students at MYAC perform in premier jazz clubs and concert venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Through participation in big bands, combos and improvisation classes, students master jazz styles and core musicianship skills. More information regarding auditions for the MYAC Jazz Program and all MYAC programs is available at mya.org.

Francisco Torres

Francisco Torres is a well respected trombonist, bass trombonist, educator, composer and arranger who hails from Hermosillo, Sonora. Born in 1974, Francisco didn’t start his musical training until 15 years old, playing alto saxophone then switching to tuba and euphonium. By accident, he discovered jazz while watching the jazz band practice before school. He was hooked.

After graduating from high school, he went on to study with Dr. Tony Mazzaferro and Dr. Greg Woll at Fullerton College, where he played in the jazz band, symphonic band and the symphony orchestra. While at Fullerton, he was a featured soloist with the symphonic band, performing Carnival Of Venice on euphonium and later in the year, “Bolero” with the Fullerton College symphony. After transferring to Cal State Long Beach, he was again asked to perform both works with the Cal State Long Beach Symphonic Band and Cal State Long Beach Symphony.

Francisco has emerged as a first class arranger and composer, particularly in the field of latin jazz. He has served as musical director, producer and arranger for the Grammy winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez for 12 years. He is also a member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, John Beasley’s Monkestra, Bill Cunliffe’s Bachannalia, and has performed or recorded with Arturo Sandoval, Bill Holman, , Joey Defrancesco, Natalie Cole, Doc Severinsen, Sammy Nestico, Terence Blanchard, as well as Santana, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Mathis, Robbie Williams, and many others. For 8 seasons he was first call sub with the Dancing With the Stars Orchestra, and has appeared with different artists on the Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, the Late Late Show, and Jimmy Kimmel.

Being known primarily as a studio and jazz trombonist, he has also excelled in the field of classical music. He can be heard as trombonist, bass trombonist and valve trombonist for Michael Giacchino on the Pixar film “Coco” and “Incredibles 2”. Some of his most recent films credits are “Tagged”, “Secret Life of Pets”, “Ice Age 4”, “Penguins of Madagascar”, and “Straight Out of Compton”. On TV he can be heard on “The Simpsons”, “Elena of Avalor”, “Tangled”, “Sofia The First”, “The Get Down”, as well as many others. He regularly records trombone for orchestra shows and parades for Shanghai Disney, Tokyo Disney, Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and has recorded a multitude of musically diverse albums with major music stars including Bob Dylan, Ricky Martin, Dr. Dre, Michael Buble, Frank Ocean, Pitbull, All American Rejects, Spoon, Angelique Kidjo, Ry Cooder, Brian Setzer, and Los Lobos.

Honor band: Naperville North