The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra will feature the Music of David Sharp, Associate Director of the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra, at their concert on Tuesday, May 9, at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, beginning at 7:30 PM.
David Sharp was a long-time member of the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra (NJO) saxophone section before moving to Ottumwa, Iowa, where he teaches at Indian Hills Community College. David has written many arrangements and original compositions for the NJO over the years, and his pieces have also been included on their CDs. This concert will pay tribute to his music.
David, presently the Professor of Music at Indian Hills Community College, has served the college since his arrival in 1998. He began serving as the Associate Conductor for the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra in 2013.
Throughout his time at Indian Hills, David has custom-arranged nearly every song performed by the Indian Hills Jazz Band, as well as every musical performance by the Performing Arts Department, including Mamma Mia, Fame, and Chicago the Musical.
The extensive knowledge that David has brought to Indian Hills is unmatched. David has performed with several national and internationally renowned jazz and pop artists, including Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valli, the Woody Herman Orchestra, Mel Tormé, Claudio Roditi, Karrin Allyson, Dave Stryker, Lou Rawls, Rod Stewart, Shirley Jones, Ana Gasteyer, and Steve Lippia, and he has performed in pit orchestras of numerous Broadway national touring productions.
Maggie Morrissey of the Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra noted the impact David has made not just on the local community, but the jazz industry. “When we met David, he was more than a rising star in the world of jazz – he was a comet who became our official Associate Conductor, putting his stamp on the Christmas Ball, the Fall Pops Concert, and establishing a Big Band composed of horns, winds and percussion players from the orchestra who he christened ‘No Strings Attached’.”
“We are the lucky ones,” Morrisey added. “This partnership with David has taught us what it’s like to work with a servant leader. A quick review of his resume and accomplishments will more than convince you of his talent, but know this – he will write that music, he will be the leader of the band, but he will also carry that heavy speaker or set up your music stand. He has learned the luxury of doing good.”
Researched & submitted by: Bob Morrissey – Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra Board Member