KINGSTON, R.I. – July 31, 2025 – University of Rhode Island music students will again take the stage at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival. Playing a half-hour set that tips the hat to the festival’s vast history, the seven URI students will perform Sunday, Aug. 3, at about 2:45 p.m. on the Foundation Stage at Fort Adams.

“This is a continuation with the Newport Festivals Foundation that has been in place for well over a decade,” said Emmett Goods, director of jazz studies at URI. “In years past, we’ve brought our big band to Newport numerous times. But post-COVID, we have sent several combos to perform.”

Bandleader Collin Klampert ’27, a music performance major in jazz guitar from Middletown, says he and his fellow musicians – Jude LaRoche (tenor saxophone), Sebastian Rosa (trumpet), Dave Canavan (trombone), Liz O’Connor (vocals), Carleton Fisher (bass), Matt Ippolito (drums), and Klampert (guitar) – are excited for another visit to Newport.

“I’m just incredibly excited and honored to return to the festival, especially with this group of some of my closest friends and most talented colleagues,” he said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m very fortunate to perform with some of my closest friends,” added Rosa ’28, a political science major from West Warwick. “As someone who isn’t a music major at URI but still participated heavily in the music department, it means a lot to represent the University.”

“It’s great to have the privilege to play there again,” agreed Fisher, a major in jazz performance from Lincoln. “The best part of the festival last year was seeing all the other incredible musicians with my colleagues from URI. Performing was incredible but I remember listening to bands on the bigger stages and just being amazed at the high caliber of musicianship. It’s a motivating factor to see what people can do with music.”

The festival holds a special meaning to Klampert, who will be performing at the festival for his third time, including with the Rhode Island Music Educators Association All-State All-Star Jazz Band when he was in high school. Growing up in Middletown, the Newport folk and jazz festivals were a constant presence. He attended the jazz festival for the first time when he was 11 and remembers seeing the great jazz pianist Chick Corea perform. Since that first festival, he has returned numerous times.

“No matter what, when I go to the festival and experience the joy and fun of this music, I always come away with a fire to play more and be better than I was the day before,” he said.

As bandleader, Klampert, consulting with faculty advisor Atla DeChamplain, has worked with the other musicians to select the combo’s repertoire for its set. He also wrote and arranged charts and organized rehearsals at URI to prepare the band for Newport.

“On relatively short notice, we’ve gone from not knowing we were playing to having a song list picked, charts written, and our first rehearsal completed in about a week and a half,” he said. “It’s just a credit to the work put in by my fellow bandmates. And Atla has been an amazing resource for us during this time.”

The repertoire celebrates the history of the festival, including songs by musicians who have “famously or rather obscurely” played Newport over the years, said Klampert. “We picked these tunes by creating a collaborative playlist on Spotify, so it was very much a team effort to develop the set and craft the theme,” he said.

The combo’s set list will include “Free For All” by Wayne Shorter, “My Baby Just Cares For Me” by Walter Donaldson, “Books Bossa” by Walter Booker, and “Ben Hur, Ben Him” by retired URI jazz guitar instructor Jay Azzolina – Klampert’s first jazz guitar teacher. While an exception to the theme, Azzolina has played the festival, including in 1989 when he performed with the legendary Spyro Gyra on the mainstage, Klampert said.

“For our performance, concert-goers should expect a selection of diverse and hip tunes that encompass a larger range of styles, and a fun, welcoming vibe for the while family,” said Canavan of Cumberland, who graduated from URI in May with degrees in jazz studies and mechanical engineering.