The UMSL Jazz Ensemble will share the stage with celebrated St. Louis jazz vocalist Denise Thimes at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Denise Thimes)

The acclaimed University of Missouri–St. Louis Jazz Ensemble will share the stage with celebrated St. Louis jazz vocalist Denise Thimes at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Thimes has been compared to Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. The ensemble has performed with jazz greats including, Clark Terry, Peter Erskine, Buddy DeFranco, John Pizzarelli and Jon Faddis.

Jim Widner, director of jazz studies at UMSL, is the conductor of the Jazz Ensemble. The performance is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Touhill.

The concert is sponsored by the Department of Music at UMSL.

This will be the ensemble’s last performance before it heads off to participate in the prestigious Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference in Chicago. Landing a coveted invitation is quite an honor because the annual gathering is held in such high esteem in the music education field. The ensemble was selected by audition to perform at the annual conference.