Mucca Pazza is an intrepid interdisciplinary instrumental music ensemble from Chicago, IL. Since 2004, they have made a name for themselves playing alarmingly danceable music composed and arranged especially for their implausible instrumentation by band members - original music which defies classification but has bloomed out of manifold influences, from surf to Stravinsky, from Bartok to Zappa, from Esquivel to Ellington. In addition to blaring trumpets, slithering saxophones, clarinets, trombones, and tubas, the band boasts a drumline that seems to share a single nervous system, an entire section of disparate instruments that don’t belong anywhere near a marching band (electric guitars, accordion, violin, and yes, a cello), and contains within its multitudes a cheer squad that performs absurdist cheers and asymmetrical, impressively low-to-the-ground pyramids. No-one has ever been completely certain of the exact number of people in Mucca Pazza. Everyone can be completely certain that this group of weirdos belongs together! Mucca Pazza: embracing the absurd! in solidarity with the improbable. _____ 7th Period is a 7-piece teenage ensemble that performs jazz/funk/soul/pop covers, along with a sprinkling of originals. Formed in 2024 inside the hallowed halls of Evanston’s Nichols Middle School, the group would meet during their lunch break (7th period) in the empty music room to jam – exploring musical genres, discovering their ability to create as a group, and having a lot of fun. Encouraged by the massive support given by the school’s band director, John Carroll, 7th Period emerged from the classroom and onto the scene. The band continues to grow by exploring the versatility of their instruments and sharing their love of rhythmically upbeat music to all audiences, especially their own. 7th Period is: Noah Hunt (tenor sax), Simone Hewitt (tenor sax), Dylan Wooller (trumpet), Dalston Wooller (alto sax), Ben Williams (guitar), Leonidas Patton (bass), and Brooke Van Haelewyn (drums).