Greenville, SC drum teacher

BIO

Kevin Korschgen, jazz drummer and music educator, first moved to Chicago in 1980 to join a band called “Rush Hour”. He began teaching jazz in 1983 as band director at Notre Dame High School for Boys, where he led the school’s award-winning jazz ensemble, He later developed a dynamic multi-cultural Latin Jazz Ensemble at Lake View High School, in Chicago, and has instructed jazz combos at Shell Lake Arts Center, the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, and at the Chicago High School for the Arts (Chiarts). During a three-year sojourn to Santa Fe, NM, Mr. Korschgen served as Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, and as Director of Bands at Santa Fe High School. Upon returning to Chicago in 2007, he became the Principal Conductor of the Chicago Public Schools All-City High School Jazz Ensemble, and taught at the Chicago High School for the Arts (Chiarts). He is an Illinois certified teacher (Fine Arts K-12) with degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (BME) and VanderCook College of Music (MME). As a musician, Mr. Korschgen has collaborated with many of Chicago’s finest jazz musicians, and has performed with major jazz artists, trumpeter, Marcus Belgrave, and pianist, Lyle Mays. Mr. Korschgen was active in the Santa Fe jazz scene, playing free-lance drums and leading his own jazz quartet. Upon returning to Chicago he performed with Big Bands, Noteworthy and the Morris Ellis Orchestra, and in a jazz octet, The Sidemen, led by trumpeter, Wendell Brenner. Mr. Korschgen enjoys composing and arranging for these ensembles, as well as for his students, for which he has penned more than 20 big band charts. On behalf of the Jazz Institute of Chicago he has presented workshops in “jazz arranging” for Madison, WI and Chicago Public Schools band directors and music instructors. His arranging and jazz drumming are displayed on his own recording, First Session, The Kevin Korschgen Jazz Quartet. Mr. Korschgen, recently retired from the Chicago Public Schools, now resides in Greenville, SC with his wife, Pamela. He looks forward to teaching, writing, and performing in the Greenville/Asheville vicinity of the Carolinas.

Greenville News

Now that I'm here, I've got to say I love this place; great weather and a wonderful Southern lifestyle!

I am happy to be partnering with a local non-profit, the Greenville Jazz Collective, to begin a new Youth Jazz Ensemble (YJE). Please visit their website for more info ... The Youth Jazz Ensemble (YJE) is a high school all-star big band serving student musicians from Upstate South Carolina and directed by renowned jazz performer and educator Kevin Korschgen. YJE students receive state-of-the-art jazz education that helps prepare them to attend leading college, university, and conservatory music programs. The ensemble’s major focus is on improvisation and musicianship. Its repertoire is tailored specifically to fit the size and instrumentation of the group, and is chosen for its educational and historical value. Jazz performance is an intricate part of the YJE experience. With a minimum of four performances a year, the ensemble opens for select Greenville Jazz Collective concerts and is featured in its own performances throughout the Greenville Community. Members of the ensemble benefit greatly from monthly guest clinician visits by both local and nationally respected jazz musicians and educators. The motto of the YJE is “make great Art”.

I'm most excited about a series of underground

jazz concerts I'm running out of my studio in Greenville's coolest new Arts District. ...

Wheel Session 30

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Mike Holstein Trio

1288 Pendleton Street

Greenville, SC

Admission $10

Mike Holstein has been playing music since early childhood. His first instruments were guitar, violin, piano and drums. In college he discovered the bass; incredibly, within a few years he became one of the most sought after bassists in the Southeast. In recent years he has rekindled his love for the guitar. “Wheel Session 30” features Mike playing both jazz guitar and bass. Wheel all-star Brad Jepson, and resident drummer, Kevin Korschgen, will join him.

The “Wheel Sessions” is a jazz performance series hosted at the Wheel, in Greenville South Carolina’s West Greenville Arts District. Performances begin at 7:30 pm, and are held in front of an intimate listening audience. There is a $10 entrance fee, which includes complimentary beverage and two sets of music; all proceeds go to the artists. Attendees may also BYOB. To reserve a seat, phone or text (312) 520-2760

FUTURE WHEEL SESSIONS:

Wheel Session 31, Oct. 26 – Jorge Garcia

Wheel Session 32, Nov. 9 – Matt Olson

Jorge Garcia ... Oct. 26 w Nicky Orta and myself!