DR. DON GOODWIN
SPOKANE JAZZ ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR

Dr. Don Goodwin has been the musical director of the Spokane Jazz Orchestra since 2015, and has been featured twice as the group’s guest artist, playing Hammond B-3 Organ for the Groove Summit I and II. In the professional community, Don is a sought-after pianist, composer, and clinician. In addition, Goodwin is the pianist for The Bob Curnow Big Band and leads his own group, The Don Goodwin Trio.

Goodwin is on the faculty at Eastern Washington University, where he serves as Director of Bands, teaching wind ensemble, marching band, conducting, and EWU’s premiere athletic pep band, Code Red. In 2016, Goodwin finished his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Band Conducting at the University of Kentucky, where he studied with Dr. John Cody Birdwell. Goodwin is also a graduate of Eastern Washington University, where he earned both his Master of Arts in Composition (2007), studying with Dr. Jonathan Middleton, and his BA in Music (1996) and teaching certification (2005).

Before returning to EWU in 2004, Goodwin lived and worked in Seattle for eight years, where he taught music theory at The Art Institute of Seattle
and performed with several touring groups around the country. His band, BeeCraft, recorded several albums, and was featured at many of the Northwest’s premiere venues and festivals. Most recently, Goodwin can be heard as a keyboardist and as a featured composer on four separate Flowmotion albums. With Flowmotion, Don played Bumbershoot in Seattle, and shared the stage with many influential recording artists, such as Widespread Panic, G-Love, Bill Frisell, and Critters Buggin. Many of Don’s over 90 big band compositions and arrangements have been published through ejazzlines, Sierra Music Publications, and Gary P. Gilroy Publications.

SPOKANE JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Jazz is one of the most entertaining forms of live music, and big band jazz offers a special fullness of sound and energy. The Spokane Jazz Orchestra performances feature amazing solos and improvisation from highly accomplished musicians and talented guest artists. The music will draw you in, flow through you, put a smile on your face, and keep you coming back. Our 19-piece ensemble is made up of some of the best jazz musicians in the Northwest. More than half are college music educators. Several others are high school or middle school music teachers. A number of our musicians have played professionally in big band touring groups and other jazz orchestras, others play in the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. All are dedicated to sharing their love of jazz music and giving the audience a great experience at every concert.

Spokane Jazz Orchestra (SJO) concert draw from the full range of jazz music– standards from icons like Count Basie and Duke Ellington – along with innovative arrangements of a wide range of music from pop to rock to funk and more.

Dr. Don Goodwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .director
Kristina Ploeger-Hekmatpanah . . . .voice
Jeremy Trigsted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .voice
Heather Sharp Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .voice
Ruby Gibford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .voice
Joshua Chism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .voice
Nathan Hoyt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .voice
Steve Friel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . alto saxophone
Vanessa Sielert. . . . . . . . . . alto saxophone
Cameron LaPlante. . . . . tenor saxophone
Chris Parkin. . . . . . . . . . . . tenor saxophone
Claire Nelson . . . . . . . baritone saxophone
Terry Lack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trumpet
Vern Sielert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trumpet
Jesse Flanagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trumpet
Jared Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trumpet
Sarah Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trombone
John Ruediger,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . trombone
Matt Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .trombone
Bill Foster,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . trombone
Brent Edstrom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . piano
Daniel Pinilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . guitar
Eugene Jablonsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bass
Chris Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . drum set