MR. ED QUICK

Edward Quick has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Ferndale Community Concert Band since its inception in 2015. He retired in 2007 from the Detroit Public Schools where he was the Director of Bands at the Detroit School of Arts. In 2004, the band program was honored with the American School Band Directors' Association "Award of Excellence." His students were featured twice at the Michigan Music Educators' Conference, at two Music Educators National Conference (MENC) conventions, and at the 2001 International Wind Band Conference at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. They had a standing invitation to perform in Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Spotlight Series and did so four times to high critical acclaim. They have been cited by respected wind band composers for performances of their music including David Gillingham, Thomas Duffy, Mark Camphouse, Quincy Hilliard, and Michael Colgrass. Students in the Detroit School of Arts jazz ensembles earned numerous awards for individual improvisational skills. Both the Jazz Big Band and small combos were regularly featured at jazz festivals and workshops, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. They have collaborated with great artists that include Rodney Whitaker, Regina Carter, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Aaliyah, Najee, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 1998, the jazz students opened for Aretha Franklin at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall.