Music educator, composer and jazz pianist Dr. Alton Merrell is the guest artist for the 2023 Art Tatum Celebration Concert, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the UToledo Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Merrell has performed with legendary artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Curtis Fuller, Roger Humphries and Delfeayo Marsalis, and regularly performs with Pittsburgh’s best jazz artists.

Part of UToledo’s celebration of Black History Month, the concert is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. Visit utoledo.Tix.com to RSVP.

To support the Art Tatum Scholarship, which provides annual scholarships to UToledo music students, visit The University of Toledo Foundation website and type “Tatum” in the search tool.

Complimentary parking will be provided in parking Areas 12 and 12S, with the exception of metered spaces. Parking in other areas will require payment via the ParkMobile app or a parking meter. Visit the ParkUToledo website for more information.

Merrell also will present a master class 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the Recital Hall. Music faculty will accompany Merrell’s master class performance, including Norm Damschroder, a senior lecturer, Olman Piedra, an associate professor, and Jay Weik, an associate lecturer. RSVPs are not required for the master class, which also is open to the public.

A world-class pianist, composer and educator, Merrell has performed and taught throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and parts of the Caribbean. His musical artistry is a unique blend of lyrical melodies, rich harmonies and fluid technique that spans multiple music genres including jazz, gospel, classical, pop and rhythm and blues.

A current member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Merrell also has performed multiple times with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Cleveland State Jazz Heritage Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale.

Merrell is a member of the group Firm Roots, a jazz sextet featuring some of the finest musicians in Pittsburgh, and leads his own instrumental jazz group, Illuminators, and his own gospel jazz vocal group, Dr. Alton Merrell & Impact.

From the University of Pittsburgh, Merrell received his Ph.D. in jazz studies with a research focus on jazz piano performance and pedagogy. He is a professor of jazz studies at West Virginia University, is the former director of jazz studies at Youngstown State University and previously taught at the University of Pittsburgh.

For more information on the 2023 Art Tatum Celebration Concert and other UToledo Department of Music events, visit the department’s website.