A trumpet, a church, and a lifelong bond: How Kalamazoo’s Rev. Millard Southern III brought Wynton Marsalis to town

KALAMAZOO, MI — When the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis takes the stage at Chenery Auditorium on Sunday, February 1, 2026, it will mark far more than a concert date on the calendar. It will be a moment of cultural convergence — uniting world-class artistry, education, faith, and community.

Under Marsalis’s visionary leadership, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra stands as one of the most celebrated big bands in the world. Known for its masterful musicianship, dynamic improvisation, and deep respect for jazz traditions — from classic swing to contemporary compositions — the ensemble represents jazz at its highest level. For Kalamazoo audiences, the performance offers a rare chance to experience a living architect of American culture in real time.

“Young people don’t very often get to see historical figures on his level who have contributed so profoundly to an American cultural art form,” says Rev. Millard Southern III, a Kalamazoo pastor, jazz trumpeter, and doctoral candidate at Western Michigan University. “This is a chance to see music in action — to hear it in person — and to understand what excellence looks like.”

A relationship rooted in church, history, and jazz

Southern grew up immersed in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church tradition, descending from a lineage of AME ministers where faith and music were inseparable. “Church and jazz were part of my foundation — my upbringing,” he says.

As a seventh grader in Chicago, Southern attended a performance at Quinn Chapel AME Church, one of the city’s oldest Black churches. Marsalis was premiering a jazz work that integrated sacred themes and the musical language of the Black church. “I was just impressed with how he was able to integrate the Black church and jazz music and do it in a very sophisticated way,” Southern recalls. “The music sounded like church.”

Not long before that performance, Southern’s father had put him in touch with Marsalis’s father, hoping the young trumpet player might receive lessons. After the concert, Southern went backstage. “I went up to him and said, ‘I’m the young boy who’s been calling you about trumpet lessons,’” Southern remembers. Marsalis responded simply: “C’mon — show me what you got.”

They have remained in touch ever since.

From inspiration to scholarship

That early encounter planted seeds that would grow into a scholarly pursuit. Southern went on to college and graduate school, spent time living in New York, and eventually returned to the Midwest and Kalamazoo to serve as a pastor. He later enrolled in Western Michigan University’s interdisciplinary doctoral studies program, where his dissertation brings together jazz, theology, and American cultural criticism.

Southern’s research uses jazz as a metaphor for cultural diversity, pluralism, and democracy — exploring how an art form rooted in collective improvisation can illuminate the dynamics of American society. Marsalis’s music and philosophy serve as a central framework.

That’s just what his music is,” Southern says. “It’s the perfect example.”

In a testament to their enduring relationship, Southern asked Marsalis to serve on his doctoral committee. Then, he decided to take the idea even further.

“I thought, what if he just came to Kalamazoo with all the resources that we have?” Southern says. “It would be a blessing for him to talk to students and talk about education. One thing led to another. I contacted him. He had an opening in his schedule. Other people helped out — and he said yes.”

More than a concert

The result is a two-day experience designed to bridge music, education, and community.

Following Sunday night’s concert, Marsalis will appear at Kalamazoo College on Monday, February 2, at 11 a.m. for a free, public conversation moderated by Southern. The discussion will explore Marsalis’s life in jazz, the history of the music, its role in American culture, and the importance of arts education in society. The event will take place in the Light Fine Arts Building and is open to all.

Southern also worked with Kalamazoo Public Schools, Chenery Auditorium, and Miller Auditorium to ensure students have access to the performance. “I wanted young people in the room,” he says. “This is about exposure, inspiration, and showing what’s possible.”

For Southern, the weekend’s significance extends beyond jazz aficionados. “It’s a chance for Kalamazoo and surrounding communities to come together in the spirit of music,” he says. “It highlights how the arts can bring us together — and why we need to support young people having access to them.”

A rare moment for Kalamazoo

Opportunities to experience artists of Marsalis’s stature outside major metropolitan centers are increasingly rare, though Kalamazoo has been fortunate to see more than its fair share of world-renowned musicians, thanks to organizations like the Gilmore Piano Festival, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Fontana Chamber Arts. Marsalis’s presence in Kalamazoo underscores not only the city’s cultural vitality but also the power of relationships, mentorship, and vision.

“This is really about music and community,” Southern says. “And showing how the arts, education, and faith can intersect in a way that strengthens all of us.”

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis takes place Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Chenery Auditorium.
Tickets are available through Miller Auditorium.

A Conversation with Wynton Marsalis and Rev. Millard Southern III takes place at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 2, at the Kalamazoo College Light Fine Arts Building. This event is free and open to the public.