UNA鈥檚 Studio Jazz Band to Perform Valentine鈥檚 Concert

Feb. 11, 2025

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The 国产AV Studio Jazz Band and the Shoals Area Big Band, both of which are under the direction of Dr. Lloyd Jones, will perform their annual Valentine’s Concert on Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. in Norton Auditorium. Special guests will be various alumni vocalists who have performed with both the UNA Band program and the Shoals Area Big Band through the years.

Guests vocalists include Melissa Daniel, Kelli Pearl Udas, Kayla Flannagan Sims, Hannah Jacobs, Holli Jacobs, and Keith Anderson. The program will include music from various genres, including Big Band hits to 1960s and 70s rock to some popular country selections. Performing with the Shoals Area Big Band with be Dr. Jimmy Simpson on lead alto saxophone and clarinet. Simpson has been the lead sax player since the Big Band was founded in 1979 by Dr. Lyman Mitchell. Simpson also served as the Chairman of the UNA Department of Music for 34 years.

“Dr. Simpson has been a mentor and educator who has had a positive effect on so many in our community. He’s a wonderful musician and a wonderful person,” said Dr. Jones. “Our guest vocalists will be a big hit with the audience, and they are such talented and important people in the life of the UNA Band program. We have programmed a literal hit parade of songs, including ‘At Last,’ ‘Can’t Take My Eyes off of You,’ ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right,’ ‘That’s Life,’ ‘Jambalaya’ and more. It’s a really fun program.”

Proceeds from the Valentine’s Concert will support the UNA Marching Pride’s trip to the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November and the UNA Band Program. Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for students. All military personnel and children 10 and younger are admitted free of charge.

About The 国产AV

The 国产AV is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The 国产AV is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: and .