Mike Conrad w/ Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

The IJCO is a big band made up of the very best jazz musicians from all over the state, dedicated to playing original music by Iowa composers. With members from Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, the Quad Cities, and everywhere in between, it’s truly special when this powerful group gets together to play. Their "Fertile Soil Suite" earned Mike Conrad a SONIC Award from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and their 2026 release "Our Harvest" showcases dynamic pieces by Bob Washut, Jon Ailabouni, Chris Merz, Dan Padley, and Jon Snell.

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Mike Conrad is a composer and improviser currently serving as Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. His compositions have earned him four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, a SONIC Award from ISJAC, the 2023 Sammy Nestico Award, and many other accolades. His wide-ranging creative projects include the All Angles Orchestra (New Angle), collaborations with Berlin-based “Stegreif” (Escape Valse, Free Eroica), the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra (Our Harvest, Fertile Soil Suite), and two jazz trio albums of original music (Reconnect and Pretzel Letters). He is in high demand as a jazz pianist and as a clinician and guest director for jazz ensembles all over the country.