TICKETS are $10 General/$5 Student.

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Philanthropic Services provided by grants from the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation, Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation, and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust, The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County's ArtsEverywhere initiative, and the Arts Project Support Grant and Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission. Concert support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season).

This formation of Michael Hudson-Casanova’s Chicago-based Quintet, "Angel Song Quintet",  explores the music of Kenny WHeeler's record, Angel Song, plus other compositions.

Michael Hudson-Casanova - saxophones

James Davis - trumpet

Paul Hecht - piano

Sam Peters - bass

Andy Danstrom - drums

Michael Hudson-Casanova is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator originally from Sterling Heights, MI and currently residing in Chicago. He holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Temple University in jazz studies and music education, and has been working professionally in a variety of musical settings since 2010.

Hudson-Casanova is a member of the American Composer’s Forum, and a recipient of several grants and scholarships for his music. He teaches for celebrated institutions like Common Time Music School, and has given clinics and performances at Mott Community College and various higher leaning institutions. He has studied closely with Andrew Rathbun, Edward Simon, Dick Oatts, Ben Schachter and Norman David, and shared the stage with Fred Hersch, Billy Hart, and Miguel Zenon.

Hudson-Casanova released his debut album as leader, Echoes of Thought, in 2021. He has also released interdisciplinary works involving his original music, dance, and multimedia.

Michael Hudson-Casanova is a saxophonist, composer, and improviser originally from Detroit and currently growing as a member of the Chicago jazz scene. He has appeared as a leader and a sideman at venues across the country including Chris’ Jazz Cafe, South Jazz Kitchen, An Die Musik, and The Green Mill. In October, 2021 he released his debut album as a leader, Echoes of Thought, which has been praised as “…an exceptional record by a killer band” by All About Jazz. He has also released collaborative projects involving improvised music and dance with his wife, Sarah Rot. Hudson-Casanova is currently working on the release of his second recording as a leader, which is set to release in March, 2023 on Passerine Records. This album has received support from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

Pianist Paul Hecht is an emerging figure in the Chicago jazz scene, who has recently moved into music after a career teaching poetry. He has formed a quartet with renowned violinist Mark Feldman that features Feldman’s compositions, and includes bassist Ethan Philion and drummer Quin Kirchner. Hecht’s Pyrography Trio, with bassist Ben Dillinger and drummer Gustavo Cortiñas, performs his original compositions in venues around the region. Other notable Chicago-area collaborators include Rob Clearfield, Matt Ulery, Greg Ward, Daniel Thatcher, Tim Davis, James Russell Sims, Harry Tonchev, and Emma Dayhuff. Hecht’s book about English poetry at the end of the sixteenth century, What Rosalind Likes, has just been published by Oxford University Press.

James Davis, a Chicago trumpeter and music maker, is comfortable in and enjoys exploring a wide array of musical environments.  As a composer, improviser, and educator he is involved in a diverse blend of musical communities in the Chicagoland area. In addition to leading different formations of his own groups, Davis has also recently collaborated and/or recorded with Matt Ulery, Rob Clearfield, The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Chris Dammann's Restroy, The Metropolitan Jazz Octet, The Heritage Jazz Orchestra, The New Standard Jazz Orchestra, as well as The Glenn Miller Band and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He has performed at many of Chicago’s premier performance venues including The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Green Mill and Jazz Showcase. James’ playing has been heard at famed venues and festivals around the world including The Kennedy Center, The Montreaux Jazz Festival, The North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. James has earned recognition as a finalist both in the 2004 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Improvisation Competition and the 2007 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition and has completed degrees at the University of Texas at Arlington, and at the University of North Texas. At UNT, James had the opportunity to tour and record with the Grammy nominated One O’clock Lab Band and the UNT Wind Symphony. James’ playing and compositions are featured on his newest album Disappearing Roads, his 2014 release Beveled, the James Davis Quintet album Angles of Refraction, the avant-rock/jazz/improv band Zing!’s, Magnetic Flux, multiple albums with Albertan drummer Karl Schwonik, among others. He is currently on faculty at Triton College, Wheaton College, and Harold Washington College. James lives in Chicago with his wife Julie and their daughter Josephine.

Andy Danstrom is a drummer, pianist and composer based out of Chicago. Since moving to there in 2014, he has established himself as one of the city’s “most adventurous musicians.” Andy splits his time between playing free improvisation, backing songwriters, and contributing to/leading creative projects. “One of the things that excites me the most is being a part of projects that have a strong aesthetic statement and a discrete set of musical rules.” Andy has also spent time composing electronic music under the moniker “Knecht,” studying classical piano and teaching. All these different avenues are important to his creative practice; he finds a lot of inspiration in how each discipline feeds into one and other. “It is so energizing when I notice a skill from one medium leak into another, it is a sign to keep going...that the connections in my music are deepening.” You can hear Andy play with Alta Vista, Patrick Jasper, Paperrr, and leading his project ‘You are the Garden.’

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.