The Northwest College Music Department invites the public to attend a special convocation and recital on Tuesday, Oct. 28, featuring pianist Dana Landry and showcasing the newest instrument in the college collection, a concert-quality Yamaha S6X Grand Piano secured through a grant from the Wyoming Innovative Partnership (WIP).

The WIP grant allows NWC to provide greater access to concert-quality equipment for students who are pursuing careers in the visual and performing arts, as well as other artists and community groups. It also provides funding to raise awareness of the arts as a viable career path by inviting successful artist entrepreneurs to speak and share their personal experiences.

The convocation is scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium, where Landry will impart his experience from his musical career, and work directly with NWC students. He will later perform a free recital at 7 p.m., also in the NPA Auditorium.

Landry is director of Jazz Studies and professor of Jazz Studies and Piano at the University of Northern Colorado, and has directed all-state jazz ensembles in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Texas, Washington, and New Mexico. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and China, and been featured by multiple record labels. Several of Landry’s recordings have made it to the top of the Jazz Week U.S. Radio Airplay Chart.

For more than 75 years, Northwest College has been a hub for aspiring artists in the Big Horn Basin, and the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium hosts a wide range of annual events, including the Showalter Music Festival, Yellowstone Summer Music Camp, student and community concerts, competitions, and instruction.