Alumnus Adam Meckler Named Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan Technological University

Adam Meckler (MM 2012, trumpet, student of David Baldwin and Dean Sorenson) was recently named assistant professor of music/director of Jazz Studies at the Visual and Performing Arts Department of Michigan Technological University. Meckler is the third director of the Jazz program that has a 52-year history of Jazz in the Midwest. Initially founded in 1967 under the direction of Don Keranen and continued under the direction of Mike Irish from 1991-2018 the non-major Jazz program at Michigan Tech has thrived at a school primarily known for its STEM curriculum.

Meckler holds degrees from Lawrence Conservatory and the University of Minnesota. A trumpet player, composer, and educator living in Minneapolis, MN, Meckler is an Edwards Instrument Co. Performing Artist and Clinician and leads The Adam Meckler Orchestra (AMO), an 18-piece big band that plays his original compositions. The AMO's debut album When the Clouds Look Like This was listed among 2014's Best Jazz Releases by iTunes. Meckler held faculty positions in trumpet and Jazz at Macalester College, MCTC, and the MacPhail Center for Music. He tours and records with The Hornheads (Prince), Youngblood Brass Band, and Nooky Jones, and plays regularly with a host of bands around the Twin Cities including Lulu's Playground, The Jana Nyberg Group, Jack Brass Band, The Graydon Peterson Quartet, and The Pete Whitman X-Tet. His latest release Magnificent Madness is available via Ropeadope Records and on all streaming platforms.