By Lookout Staff

March 30, 2016 -- Santa Monica College music students will get a chance to display their musical chops during a series of April concerts that kicks off Saturday.

The series -- which take place at The Broad Stage and The Edye at the SMC Performing Arts Center on Santa Monica Boulevard at 11th Street -- will showcase classical and jazz performances by some of SMC's most gifted students and includes performances by acclaimed recording artists, college officials said.

The concert series starts Saturday April 2 with a performance by the SMC Wind Ensemble under the baton of Kevin McKeown (no relation to the Santa Monica City Council member by the same name).

The concert includes new and traditional compositions written for wind instruments, concert organizers said. The performance at the Broad Stage starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

The series resumes Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m. in The Edye with a jazz concert by the Dave Tull Quartet. A drummer, Tull has earned a reputation as a sought-after vocalist and songwriter.

Since 2000, Tull has performed worldwide as a drummer and lead vocalist for Grammy award-winning trumpeter Chuck Mangione. Tull's vocals were featured on Mangione’s soundtrack for the 1978 film “The Children of Sanchez” starring Anthony Quinn. The concert is part of the SMC Spring Jazz Series, and tickets are $10.

Some of Santa Monica College's most gifted students take the stage at The Broad Friday, April 22 for a Benefit Concert for the Applied Music Program, co-directed by Brian Driscoll and Janelle DeStefano.

The concert, college officials said, is a "wonderful opportunity" to support the program, which is "dedicated to fostering the development of outstanding instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers."

The concert starts at at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

The series concludes Sunday, April 24 with a performance by the SMC Jazz Band under the direction of Keith Fiddmont. The concert feature "jazz band arrangements from the masters and contemporary works from aspiring composers and arrangers," organizers said.

Guest artist Kim Richmond, a renowned jazz saxophonist, composer and Grammy-nominated arranger, will join the band to explore the music of Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson, Ted Nash, Sammy Nestico and Kim Richardson, among others. The concert starts at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10.

For tickets and information, visit www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 434-3005 or (310) 434-4323.