TICKETS are $12 General/$6 Student. Concert is one long set. End time is approximately 9:00 pm.

We welcome you to join the Bill Cessna Trio in celebrating the release of their new album "Billy Boy!"  featuring all original music.

Bill Cessna  - piano

Ethan Bouwsma  - drums

Sam Peters - bass

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Bill Cessna is a jazz pianist/multi-instrumentalist with a mission to create and present musical experiences that preserve and celebrate Jazz Music and the genius of improvisation. After graduating from Columbia College in 2013, Bill quickly became an in-demand sideman in Chicago’s vibrant music scene. In 2022, Bill graduated from Western Michigan University with a masters degree in jazz piano. He maintains a busy performance schedule throughout the midwest. The trio has released two albums "Background Music" in 2022 and "Billy Boy!" in 2024.

“The best compliment I can receive is when people tell me they do not listen to jazz, but enjoyed hearing or watching us play”.

Chicago drummer, composer, and educator Ethan Bouwsma has established himself as a versatile musician, playing with artists of varying genres all over the city and surrounding region. In addition to being involved with numerous jazz ensembles as a sideman, he also leads his own original-music jazz project, and is a member of Fake Baseball, an eclectic art-pop band based in Kalamazoo, MI. As a drummer, Ethan has been influenced by the sensibilities of musicians like Elvin Jones, Brian Blade, and Billy Hart.

Ethan began his career in 2015, while earning his Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, where he studied with Keith Hall, Andrew Rathbun, Jeremy Siskind, Matthew Fries, Scott Cowan, and Judy Moonert. During his time at WMU, he had the opportunity to compete at the Next Generation Jazz Festival and perform at the 2018 Monterey Jazz Festival, as well as tour through Colombia with a quartet for 2 weeks in 2019, performing concerts and teaching masterclasses.

As an educator, Ethan has experience teaching students of all different ages and playing levels. He is currently the Drumset and Percussion instructor at FAME Center, and has taught at various jazz summer camps, including the Keith Hall Summer Drum Intensive in Kalamazoo and Jazz Camp 2019 presented by Colombo Americano in Medellín and Pereira, Colombia.

Samuel Peters is a jazz bassist and music educator based in Chicago, Illinois. He recently completed his Masters in jazz studies at DePaul University, where he studied with Dennis Carroll. Additionally, he has recorded on four albums, toured internationally with groups including the Roy McGrath Quartet, as well as The Old Style Sextet, and maintains a healthy performance schedule in and around Chicago with groups including: the Dennis Luxion Trio, the Charles Heath Quartet, and the Richard Johnson Quartet. In addition to running a private lessons studio, Sam has been the Jazz Bass instructor at Adlai E. Stevenson High School since 2018.

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services Private Trust Foundations, which include grants from the Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation (2020-2021; 2022-2023 seasons), the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation (2021-2022; 2022-2023 seasons), and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust (2021-2022; 2022-2023; 2023-2024 seasons). Special concert event support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season). Activities are made possible in part by the Arts Organization Support (AOS), Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (2023-2024 season).

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation (2020-2023 seasons). The Student and Home Grown Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and the Arts Project Support Grant and the Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.