An Evening with Jazz Saxophonist Mitch Paliga

Mitch Paliga is a Chicago-based saxophonist, educator and composer. Described as “…the next great voice on soprano saxophone” by Cadence Magazine, he has been touring with actor/musician Gary Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band since 2007. As a member of the Lt. Dan Band, he has performed on U.S. military bases and hospitals in the U.S., Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan, Europe, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Kuwait. He and the Lt. Dan Band have also performed at the National Memorial Day Concert, the Pentagon, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, West Point, the Air Force and Naval Academies, and CBS Television City. Paliga has two recordings under his own name, “Blithe Moments” and “Fall Night,” both on the Origin label. He has recorded over 30 original compositions and arrangements with a variety of artists and is a founding member of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective. Paliga has a Master’s Degree in jazz pedagogy from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s Degree in music from Eastern New Mexico University. He is a grant recipient from the National Endowment of the Arts and the City of Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program. He endorses AMT Microphones and is a D’Addario artist. Joining Paliga for this concert will be fellow members of the College’s highly-esteemed jazz studies program. This season’s jazz series is co-presented by Flashpoint Creative Arts, whose goal is to promote greater understanding of and participation in the art of improvisation with innovative artistic and educational experiences that draw people more deeply into the improvisatory process.