Noce's Upcoming Shows

Join the Noce company artists for an elegant evening celebrating the first ten years of business & laying the groundwork for what's to come in the second decade. Featuring an expansive spread of hors d'œuvres, newly featured specialty cocktails from the Noce staff, & many special performances from Noce favorites, this Soiree is set to be the top event in the arts community this spring. Gina Gedler, Lauren Vilmain, Napoleon Douglas, & Domita Sanchez will join host Max Wellman on stage with a 10 piece band to highlight some of the great in-house entertainment produced at the club. Wellman (co-founder, General Manager, & Entertainment Director) will give a keynote address to re-dedicate the stage heading into Noce's second decade. This re-dedication will serve as a capstone celebration following the new stage engraving campaign set to begin in March. Patrons who have purchased a stage engraving will receive complimentary tickets to the Soiree.

Marisa Cravero is an up-and-coming vocalist and multi-instrumentalist born and raised in West Des Moines, IA. Currently, Cravero is studying with world-renowned vocal jazz faculty Rosana Eckert and Jennifer Barnes at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. During her first year at UNT, Marisa performed with the Seven O’Clock Lab Band on vocals, Vocal Jazz Ensemble Avenue C, played saxophone in the Commercial Music Ensemble, and helped found Peel’d, a contemporary band that she continues to sing and arrange with. Back in Des Moines, IA, the vocalist has had the opportunity to work with outstanding jazz musicians such as Alyssa Allgood, Gabriel Espinosa, Alison Wedding, Darmon Meader, säje, and Kim Nazarian. Marisa was repeatedly selected for Iowa All State Jazz Choir, and lead alto in the Iowa All State Jazz Band in 2023, as well as a two-time recipient of the Iowa Vocal Jazz Champs Outstanding Soloist Award. Equally at ease in the Broadway genre, Marisa was a consecutive IHSMTA triple threat nominee appearing on Iowa PBS. She has had the opportunity to learn from acclaimed Broadway professionals, including Jessica Lee Goldyn, Parker Esse, and Peisha McPhee. Marisa’s diverse musical past shines through in her performing, composing, and arranging.

The Des Moines Big Band, a storied ensemble that goes back to the 1950s, has played with some of the greatest names in jazz, from legends like Clark Terry to some of the more local household names such as Scott Smith. --- The band often invites high school & college groups in to play during the set break. The first Tuesday of every month, though, the band plays their own full night highlighting the work of a different iconic jazz artist or composer.

Marcus Lewis holds a BM in jazz performance from Valdosta State University and MM in trombone performance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Marcus currently lives in Kansas City, MO where he leads his own quintet and 18-piece big band. His latest project, “Brass and Boujee”, debuted on the iTunes Jazz Charts at #2 and the Billboard contemporary jazz charts at #15. Marcus has a passion for education and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Future Jazz, a nonprofit dedicated to jazz education. He is also the Adjunct Jazz Trombone Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Marcus has performed at venues that include the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Klaipeda Jazz Festival in 2003, and the Jimmy Carter Summer Concert Series in 2008. As a sideman, he has also performed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Fest, the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Concert and the 2012 North Sea Jazz Festival, the Sydney Opera House, and for President Barack Obama at the White House in 2011 and 2012. Television shows include SNL, David Letterman, The Today Show, Jools Holland, Arsenio Hall, and American Idol. Marcus was awarded the 2008 Betty Carter Jazz Residency and the 2003 Outstanding Soloist award at the Wichita Jazz Festival, and won the Charlotte Street Generative Artist Award in 2018. Some notable artists that Marcus has performed and/or recorded with are Aretha Franklin, Prince, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars, B.o.B, Jidenna, Musiqsoulchild, Avery Sunshine, The Barkays, Confunkshun, Quincy Jones and Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players. Marcus is a B.A.C. artist/endorser, and plays their trombones exclusively. In addition to an active touring and recording schedule, Marcus stays busy writing, arranging, teaching and leading clinics and master-classes worldwide.

Lauren Vilmain is back with a night of Broadway, baby! Noce is proud to present a new show featuring a full 10-piece jazz orchestra playing the arrangements of Brian Martin from some of Lauren's favorite showtunes spanning the entire history of theater on Broadway. This sensational new cabaret is a great addition to Lauren's wildly popular residency at Noce. --- Vocalist Lauren Vilmain is a graduate of Drake University where she majored in vocal performance with a minor in musical theatre. In her studies she fell in love with both the thrill of live performance and the beauty of self-expression. While being classically trained, Lauren also dove into musical theater repertoire. After her studies she found a challenging and deep love for American Jazz music. Her repertoire ranges widely from Nina Simone, Melody Gardot and Madeleine Peyroux to blues artists like Lizz Wright, Tracy Chapman, and Eva Cassidy. She performs locally with NOLA Jazz Band as well as her Quintet and is proud to regular the Noce Jazz Club in Downtown Des Moines. Lauren is privileged to work with some of the best musicians in the state and to collaborate with them for her personal projects.