Music Legend Wynton Marsalis Speaks at Lawrence University Convocation

APPLETON, WIS. -- Legendary jazz composer, performer and music educator Wynton Marsalis shares his perspectives and performing talents Tuesday, Oct. 9 in a Lawrence University convocation.

Marsalis, the music director of the famed Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the artistic director of the world renowned arts organization Jazz at Lincoln Center, will speak at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. He also will conduct a question and-answer session immediately following his address. The event is free and open to the public.

A virtuoso trumpeter, Marsalis, 39, has earned nine Grammy Awards in both jazz and classical categories and was awarded the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in music -- the first jazz artist so honored -- for his work "Blood on the Fields," a three-hour jazz oratorio that traces the journey of an African couple sold into slavery in the United States.

He began his classical training on the trumpet when he was 12 and entered The Julliard School's prestigious conservatory in 1979 as a 17-year old. That same year he began playing with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the legendary band that served as a training ground for generations of budding jazz artists.

In 1982, Marsalis made his recording debut as leader of his own ensemble. A year later he made history by becoming the first artist to win both jazz and classical Grammy awards in the same year, then repeated the historic double Grammy feat in 1984.

A prolific composer, Marsalis has produced an impressive catalogue of nearly 40 jazz and classical recordings, including "Them Twos," a collaboration between Jazz at Lincoln Center and the New York City ballet, "In This House, On the Morning," an extended piece based on a traditional gospel service, and most recently, "All Rise," a 12-part composition commissioned by the New York Philharmonic that premiered in 1999. In addition to his composing and performing, Marsalis is an international advocate for music education. In conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center, he regularly conducts master classes and gives lectures and was featured in the National Public Radio series, "Making the Music," which won a Peabody Award in 1996. He also starred in the National Public Television production, "Marsalis on Music."

Born outside New Orleans, Marsalis was named one of "America's 25 Most Influential People" by Time magazine and one of "The 50 Most Influential Boomers" by Life magazine. Earlier this year, United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan awarded Marsalis the U.N.'s designation of "Messenger of Peace."