Penn State Hazleton will host a free concert featuring renowned jazz trumpeter Terell Stafford and his quintet at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 in the Black Box Theater of the Slusser/Bayzick Building.

Hailed as “one of the great players of our time” by late piano legend McCoy Tyner, Stafford has performed on dozens of albums and received numerous accolades during his more than two-decades-long professional career, including six Grammy Award nominations and a Grammy Award win in 2009 for his contributions as a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

An educator as well as a performer, Stafford is currently the director of jazz studies and chair of instrumental studies in Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance and the managing and artistic director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia.

“I’m excited to be able to bring an evening of live jazz to the Penn State Hazleton community,” Stafford said. “Students, community members, and music lovers are invited to join us for an immersive and memorable musical experience.”

Founded by Stafford, the members of the Terell Stafford Quintet are highly accomplished educators, composers, arrangers and band leaders, who have recorded six albums together.

The concert will be held in recognition of Penn State Hazleton Professor of Music and Integrative Arts Thomas Smialek, who will retire in December after a 33-year career at the campus. Throughout his time on campus, Smialek frequently organized concerts on campus and took students on field trips to live performances, including previous concerts headlined by Stafford.

Smialek said being able to host an acclaimed talent like Stafford in an intimate venue at no cost to the public is a special opportunity.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to provide a special concert experience in a relatively small space, where the audience will be up close and personal with one of the leading jazz musicians in the country,” Smialek said.

The free performance is open to the public and members of the campus community. On the evening of the concert, follow signs posted at the entrance to campus for directions to the Slusser/Bayzick Building. For more information, contact the Office of Strategic Communications at 570-450-3180.