Jazz Clarinetist Don Byron to Perform at Holy Cross

There will be a performance by jazz clarinetist Don Byron on Friday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. in the Brooks Concert Hall. Byron will give a lecture and demonstration to the First Year Program at 4 p.m. in the Hall. Both events are free and open to the public, though seating is limited.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Byron was influenced early by his parents, who were both musicians. He studied music formally at the New England Conservatory of Music and eventually moved back to New York, where he served for four seasons as artistic director for jazz at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Some of Byron's special projects include arrangements of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway music, an original score for the silent film, "Scar of Shame," and a string quartet, "There Goes the Neighborhood," commissioned by the Kronos Quartet.

Byron has performed at major jazz festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has composed and recorded the theme for the "Tom & Jerry" animated series currently on the Cartoon Network and is working on an album of duets with pianist Uri Caine. He is also recording chamber works by and in tribute to Igor Stravinsky for Angel Records.

Named "Clarinetist of the Year" by the readers of Down Beat Magazine eight years in a row, Byron has released seven CDs, including his debut "Tuskegee Experiments," "Music for Six Musicians," and the unique "Nu Blaxploitation," featuring such wide-ranging talents as rapper Biz Markie and hardcore vocalist Henry Rollins.

This event is sponsored by the First Year Program, African-American Studies Program and Office of Student Programs.