About the Ensemble
The YARDBIRD ENSEMBLE is currently comprised of upper level high school students.
There are openings in this ensemble for:
woodwinds (i.e. sax, clarinet)
brass (i.e. trumpet, trombone)
SPRING TERM
Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Term fee: $495 (15-weeks)
All rehearsals and classes are held at the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (926 E Center Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212).
Spring term start date: January 14, 2026
No rehearsal dates: April 1, 2026
Last rehearsal: April 29. 2026
Final performance: May 2 or May 3, 2026 @ Sam's Place Jazz Cafe (3338 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53212)
*Students who have been invited to join this ensemble should complete the Registration Form.
*Students who have joined this ensemble should pay the term fee before the second rehearsal of the term.
*Please notify us as soon as you become aware of a schedule conflict. We need time to find a sub in order to hold a constructive rehearsal in your absence.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
SUMMER JAZZ CAMP: June 22-26, 2026 https://www.milwaukeejazzinstitute.org/summer-jazz-camp
SUMMER TERM STARTS: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (6-weeks), term fee $198
FALL TERM STARTS: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 (15-weeks), term fee tbd
Your Instructor
Gabriel Wade
Little Rock, Arkansas native Gabriel Wade is a versatile trumpeter, pianist, and educator with a rich performance history. He's shared the stage with iconic ensembles and artists such as the Count Basie Orchestra and Bobby Watson, and Chicago staples like the Clif Wallace Big Band, Tom Garling Jazz Orchestra, Marlene Rosenberg Quartet, and the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective. As a sideman, he's appeared at notable venues and festivals across the Midwest, including the Bop Stop (Cleveland, OH), Merriman's Playhouse (South Bend, IN), and the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (Milwaukee, WI), the Elmhurst Jazz Festival (Elmhurst, IL), and the Chicago Jazz Festival (Chicago, IL). As a bandleader, he has had the pleasure of performing on stages in Arkansas and Illinois, including Fulton Street Collective, the Jazz Showcase, and Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago, IL.
Recent achievements include qualifying as a semi-finalist in the Jazz Improvisation Division for the International Trumpet Guild’s 2024 and 2025 Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition, being selected for the prestigious, donor-funded 2024 Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy Big Band led by artistic director, Christian McBride, and earning 1st place in the 2024 Tom Williams Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition.
Gabriel Wade is also an avid music educator as his educational roles include being the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Harper College (Palatine, IL) and College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL), Trumpet Instructor for the Ravinia Lawndale Family Music School (Chicago, IL), a piano teacher at Naperville Music Academy (Aurora, IL), and a trumpet/piano teacher at the Northern Illinois University Community School of the Arts (DeKalb, IL).
Gabriel's goal as an educator is to help students develop a greater sense of awareness and appreciation of the many facets of music. Also, he hopes to provide students with the tools to understand how to practice efficiently and to overcome challenges when they arise.