Akron-native bassist and The University of Akron Jazz Studies alumnus, Mike Forfia, leads swingin' trio for a special afterparty & jam session at BLU following the UA JazzFest Concert featuring Steve Tyrell at E.J. Thomas Hall!
As part of the annual University of Akron JazzFest, the School of Music will be hosting Grammy Award winning producer and vocalist, Steve Tyrell, in a special performance at E.J. Thomas Hall.
After the show at E.J. Thomas Hall, we will be hosting a very special Afterparty & Jam Session at BLU Jazz+ featuring a swingin’ house band led by bassist and UA Jazz Studies alumnus, Mike Forfia! All are welcome to join us for this very special evening!
Communication is the core element of Mike Forfia’s artistic pursuits. A native of Akron, Ohio, he melds his diverse experiences to create space for communication to flourish. As a bassist, radio producer, and educator he constantly engages and deliberately elevates the more beautiful aspects of humanity with pragmatic optimism.
Forfia’s most recent pursuits have garnered international acclaim. He was a finalist in the Ron Carter Bass Competition at the Detroit Jazz Festival in July 2016 and was awarded the 1st prize at the International Society of Bassists’ Scott LaFaro jazz bass competition in July 2015. He produced season two of “Jazz@Eastman – Past, Present, and Future,” a weekly hour-long podcast featuring music and stories from the Sibley Music Archives and Eastman’s global alumni network – which is currently in its second rotation in Rochester, NY.
Raised in a stunningly hospitable Midwestern music community, Mike Forfia credits his influences to the art and music boom that has been born out of the rustbelt revival. His diverse palate has allowed him to perform in settings from free-jazz improvisation to contemporary popular music groups, and with a variety of international groups and artists including violinist Christian Howes and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
In addition to performance, Forfia engages with his local community through educational and arts leadership roles. He has been a featured lecturer and performer at educational workshops and has collaborated with arts organizations in a variety of administrative positions. A 2016 graduate of the Eastman School of Music, he was formerly a Graduate Teaching Assistant, a Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Program Fellow, Programming Director and Producer of the radio show and podcast Jazz@Eastman – Past, Present, & Future, and administrator of the Eastman Gig Service.
Mike Forfia was the recipient of the 2016 Post-Graduate Internship award by the Eastman School of Music Arts Leadership Program. He currently resides in New York City where he assists with programming and media production at “The First Church of Jazz”, Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church.
Join us at BLU Jazz+ for a night of celebration and live music performed by Akron’s own! Attendees of the UA JazzFest Concert ft. Steve Tyrell at E.J. Thomas Hall will receive a $5 discount at the door when presenting your ticket stub to the hostess – see you there!