College of the Ozarks Jazz Ensemble to perform concert Friday, Dec. 13

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — The College of the Ozarks Jazz Ensemble will present a concert that will take place Friday evening, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Jones Auditorium. This concert is free and open to the public.

Dr. Kevin Powers, ensemble director and associate professor of music, carefully chooses pieces so they connect with the members of the Jazz Ensemble as well as the audience.

“I want the ensemble to love what they are playing, and I want the music to energize them. I have found through experience that when ensembles play music they are excited about, it translates to a great performance,” Powers said. “It is my sincere hope that the audience, as they listen to us play, is moved and excited by what they hear.”

Jazz Ensemble Program:

God Rest Ye Merry Samba — arranged by Paul Baker

Nutville — by Horace Silver/arranged by Greg Hopkins

Yo Tannenbaum! — arranged by Gordon Goodwin

White Christmas — by Irving Berlin/arranged by Roger Holmes 

Sing, Sing, Sing — by Louis Prima/arranged by Mike Lewis

Sun Goddess — by Maurice White, Jon Lind/arranged by Mike Tomaro

Up on the Housetop — by Benjamin Hanby/arranged by Paul Clark

“To me, it is a truly special experience to work with students in the pursuit of musical excellence. I am greatly looking forward to hearing these students knock it out of the park," Powers said.

For additional information, contact Public Relations Director Valorie Coleman at (417) 690-2212.

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.