BOSTON, MA, April 8, 2005 — Internationally acclaimed Berklee Rainbow Band, directed by world-renowned trombonist and Berklee Professor Phil Wilson, will provide a great evening of jazz at the Berklee Performance Center. The Monday, April 11, concert will begin at 8:15 p.m. and tickets are $5. The Berklee Performance Center is located at 136 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA. For more information please call 617-747-2261 or visit the Berklee Performance Center website.

The 25-piece Rainbow Band will feature Berklee student vocalist Jeremy Ragsdale and student composers Chie Imaizumi and April Thomas. The concert also promises arrangements by Phil Wilson and jazz composition faculty member Greg Hopkins.

Prior to becoming a member of the faculty in September 1965, Wilson was well known as a cutting-edge trombonist and a big band arranger, recording with Wood Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett and the Dorsey Brothers. He continues to be in demand as a trombone soloist worldwide and has presented clinics at universities on five continents. On December 9, 1995, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared an honorary Phil Wilson Day.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Phil Wilson Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Phil Wilson formed the student group that would become the Berklee Rainbow Band during his first year at Berklee. Since then, the band has appeared on national television, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, at numerous festivals, and on tour in Latin America, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. In 2002, the Rainbow Band performed at the Hollywood Bowl in "Autumn Eve - A Tribute to Woody Herman," which was filmed for PBS. Among the students who were once members of the Band and who have become major stars in jazz are Roy Hargrove, Terri Lynn Carrington, Abe Laboriel, Sr and Jr, and John Scofield, Cyrus Chestnut and Danilo Pérez.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.

For editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:

Mitzi A. Dorbu
Office of Public Information
(617) 747-2750
mdorbu@berklee.edu