UWEC’s Jazz I puts it on mute.

The UW-Eau Claire Centennial Gala is billed as a “once-a-century event,” and that’s no exaggeration: This evening will feature the top UWEC musical ensembles – including the University Symphony Orchestra, the Concert Choir, Jazz I, the L.E. Phillips String Quartet, and the Wind Symphony – presenting the world premieres of five specially commissioned works. The composers include current and former UWEC music faculty members Ivar Lunde, Ethan Wickman, and Chia-yu Hsu as well as Blugold music alumni Kyle Newmaster and Jordan Jenkins. As you might guess from its name, the gala is being held to commemorate the university’s 100th birthday, which it is celebrating this year. As such, in addition to the new compositions, “each ensemble will perform a piece of music representative of the university’s inaugural year of 1916,” a university press release says. The concert will begin at 7:30pm, but guests are invited to come at 6pm for complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine, performances by theater and music students, and a special exhibit of alumni artwork at Foster Gallery. It will be a star-studded evening, Blugold-style: The gala will be emceed by Dr. Wil Denson, a professor emeritus of theater arts, and Laila Robins, a 1981 music grad whose gone on to a successful film, TV, and stage career. Meanwhile, two notable alums will jam with Jazz I: bassist Scott Pingel of the San Francisco Symphony and Tom Luer, a studio saxophonist in Los Angeles. Get your ticket now – or risk waiting until 2116 for the next UWEC performance of this magnitude. 

UW-Eau Claire Centennial Gala • Saturday, Oct. 8, reception 6pm, concert 7:30pm • Haas Fine Arts Center, 121 Water St., Eau Claire • $40 • tickets available at the UWEC Service Center, by calling (715) 836-4636 or (800) 949-8932, at uwec.ticketforce.com