Jessica Williams opens the new jazz series at Fresno State with a solo piano concert on Friday, September 8, 2000, at 8:00 p.m. in the concert hall of the Music Building.
Presented by KFSR 90.7 and the Music Department, this concert is the first in a series that will continue in October, with additional concerts planned in the spring.
In celebration of this inaugural event, The Women’s Resource Center is hosting a reception following the concert. The series for this year will conclude with the third annual Billy Higgins Fresno State Jazz Festival in March. Exact dates will be announced in the near future.
Jessica Williams was introduced to the Fresno community when she appeared with her trio in the second annual Higgins Jazz Festival. One of the most popular artists in the festival, jazz fans will have an opportunity to appreciate her artistry in the Music Building’s Concert Hall, a site known and appreciated in Fresno for exciting piano events.
Admired by Dave Brubeck, who described Jessica as “one of the greatest jazz pianists I have ever heard,” and McCoy Tyner, who said, “Jessica is a beautiful player,” she has worked with Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, and numerous other great musicians.
She has been a working jazz pianist for 35 years and began playing piano when she was 4 years old. She holds a Guggenheim Fellowship for jazz composition and has received two National Endowment for the Arts grants as well as support from the Rockefeller Foundation. She resides on the Central Coast of California.
Tickets are available in advance at the box office in the Music Building at Fresno State and at Kern Street Coffee Company. Individual tickets for the general public in advance are $12.00, Students and Seniors $10.00, and $14.00 at the door. Season tickets, including limited VIP seating, are also still available. For information please call Jo Ann Collins at 559.278.4680 or email joannc@csufresno.edu, the KFSR business office at 559.278.2598 or the Music Department at 559.278.2654.
