GUEST ARTISTS
Michael Heller, saxophones
Michael Heller is a saxophonist and doctor of ethnomusicology. He was the director of Harvard's Dudley House Jazz Bands, an ensemble made up of Harvard Graduate students from across the disciplines. In 2010, the Dudley Band premiered an arrangement by Heller and pianist Aaron Weiman of Mary Lou Williams' landmark Zodiac Suite, the first large ensemble performance of the piece in 65 years. Heller holds an M.A. in Jazz History and Research from Rutgers University-Newark, where his thesis focused on musician-organized jazz festivals in the 1960s and 1970s. His PhD dissertation research focused on the New York jazz lofts of the 1970s.
Sarah Politz, trombone
Sarah Politz is currently a PhD student in ethnomusicology at Harvard University, where she focuses on jazz and West African music. She studied jazz trombone at Oberlin Conservatory, and received her MA in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. When not in Cambridge, Sarah performs with the Theodicy Jazz Collective, a sacred music project based in New Haven, CT.
Mark Slawson, piano
Mark Slawson received a bachelor's degree in composition from Union College and a master's degree in harpsichord from New England Conservatory. He has performed with Cantorum Baroque Ensemble,Boston Renaissance Ensemble, La Sonnerie de St. Bôtolphe, Ensemble Suave, among other baroque groups. He is currently organist and music director at Second Parish, Hingham. Mark is on the boards of the Cambridge Society for Early Music and the Society for Historically Informed Performance.
