VJC Spotlight Concert featuring Kris Johnson

WHAT TO EXPECT The ensembles of the Valley Jazz Cooperative’s main educational program (grades 8-12) share the Ravenscroft Hall stage for a final time this season. And the annual VJC Spotlight Concert is once more a fundraising event, presented in cooperation with MSW Ministries’ Music on a Mission outreach. 100% of all proceeds and donations from this concert will go to support a worthy charitable organization from our community. Joining the Sapphire Big Band (led by Paul Brewer) and the Cerulean Combo and Indigo Big Band (both under the direction of Russell Schmidt) is special guest artist Kris Johnson. Expect an exciting and wide-ranging program from the VJC ensembles on this year’s Spotlight concert! ABOUT THE GUEST ARTIST Kris Johnson is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, film composer, and educator based in Detroit, Michigan. Kris’s professional career is expansive for an artist so young, including: composing several musicals, including Jim Crow’s Tears and Hastings Street: The Musical; scoring films, such as the Emmy-nominated web series King Ester; producing successful personal projects, such as The Kris Johnson Group, and #looptherapy; and serving as the Founder and Director of the Paradise Theatre Big Band through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. With contributions to six GRAMMY-nominated albums as a trumpeter and arranger, including the 2024 GRAMMY-winning Basie Swings the Blues by the Count Basie Orchestra, Kris is a recognized force in the industry. His career highlights include touring globally as a member of Endea Owens and the Cookout since 2023, and with the esteemed Count Basie Orchestra from 2008-2019 as a soloist and arranger, performing at prestigious venues like the Apollo Theater, Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, and more. He has collaborated with such musicians as Tony Bennett, Wycliffe Gordon, Leslie Odom Jr., and Wynton Marsalis, as well as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, showcasing his versatile talent. Much in…