First Citizens Bank proudly presents Sammy Miller and The Congregation at the North Iowa Community Auditorium on the NIACC campus at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, January 17th, 2020. This presentation is part of the 2019-2020 Performing Arts and Leadership Series.

Sammy Miller and The Congregation are on a mission to share the power of community through their music. A native of Los Angeles, Grammy Award-nominated drummer Sammy Miller has become known for making music that feels good as a drummer, singer, and bandleader. Upon completing his Master’s at The Julliard School, Sammy formed his ensemble, The Congregation.

The seven-piece band is pulling people out of their solitary lives and putting them in the moment with a dose of joyful jazz performed with energy and comedy. While independently the band members have performed and recorded with notable artists including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Wynton Marsalis, Jazon Mraz, Queen Latifah, and Iron and Wine at venues including the White House, Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl, they have opted to stick together to spread joy throughout the world.

Sammy Miller and The Congregation has been described as a mashup of Ben Folds and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

“We want to get people back in a room together,” Sammy Miller says. “I love the idea of being sincere, vulnerable, and breaking down walls through humor. Music is an uplifting gift, and I want to be generous in sharing it with people.”

The seven-piece group are conservatory-trained musicians who haven’t lost their awe for playing music. The band lineup is Sammy Miller, drums and vocals; Sam Crittenden, trombone; Ben Flocks, tenor sax; Sammy’s sister Molly Miller on guitar; Alphonso Horne, trumpet; Corbin Jones, bass and tuba; and David Linard, piano.

Sammy started the band in 2014 and since the band’s inception, the Congregation has played nonstop around the world. Select highlights include performances at Umbria Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz At Lincoln Center, The White House, The Kennedy Center, Prokofiev Concert Hall in Russia, and at the Newport Jazz Festival where the group received a standing ovation. The seven-piece band has also garnered prime critical acclaim from such venerated outlets as Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, SF Weekly, Vanity Fair and Jazz Journal, among other publications.

Their live show grew to be something of a mix between a comedy troupe and a dazzling rock band that played reimagined jazz. “We let ourselves be free and we took the audience with us,” Sammy says.

During their two-day residency in North Iowa, Sammy Miller and The Congregation will work with area high school music students during clinics and workshops as part of the NIACC Jazz Festival.

To learn more about the show, visit www.sammymillercongregation.com or watch a video at www.niacc.edu/palvideos.For tickets to the show, call the NIACC Box Office at 1-888-466-4222, extension 4188. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.niacc.edu/boxoffice.

The Broadway sponsor for the 2019-2020 Performing Arts and Leadership Series is Drs. Beck, Bhangoo, and Ondoma: Neurosurgery of North Iowa, P.C.

Platinum sponsors include Samuel & Patricia Congello, Mason City Clinic, Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund, Lee Foundation, Globe Gazette, MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, and Principal Financial Group.

Gold sponsors include First Citizens Bank, First State Bank of Belmond, Dean Genth & Dr. Gary Swenson, The G. G. George Family, Henkel Construction Company, Historic Park Inn, MBT Bank & The Hanson Family Foundation, Northwoods State Bank, North Iowa Eye Clinic P.C., Stratford Foundation, Sukup Manufacturing Co., Holiday Inn Express, KGLO, KIMT, KLKK-FM 103.7, and Country Inn & Suites.

# # #

Ref # 6561