Events

Sukin Series
Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective Plays Motown
Saturday
Jun 13, 2026
7:00 pm
Lockwood Performing Arts Center
2016 Old US 87
$25-45
Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective
Scott Jeppesen, director
Clark Stirgus, guest vocalist
Get ready to groove with vocalist Clark Stirgus and the Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective as they take us on a wild ride through the Detroit music scene in the ‘60s. They’ll be laying down Motown hits and vibrant jazz renditions, celebrating the rhythm and soul of this legendary genre. Got soul? See you there!
Call 406-252-3610 for more information or to order tickets.
- Motown is record label and a genre blending R&B, soul, and pop, known for its distinctive sound and strong influence on American music.
- Motown's name is a nod to the "Motor Town" it was founded in-Detroit-and the headquarters was famously titled "Hitsville U.S.A." as a signal that anyone who stepped through its doors was expected to contribute to the music in some way.
- Motown produced a record number of chart-topping artists, including Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross an the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.

Guest artists
SCOTT JEPPESEN | RMJC MUSIC DIRECTOR
Scott Jeppesen is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Montana State University Billings, teaching Music Theory, Music History, Commercial Improvisation, Commercial Composition/Arranging, Jazz Combo, Music Business, and private lessons on saxophone, clarinet, and flute.
Scott is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor of Music (BM), Master of Music (MM), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Jazz Studies.
Before accepting the position at MSUB, Scott lived in Los Angeles for seventeen years. During that time, he performed with many legendary artists, including Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Russell Ferrante, Burt Bacharach, Lalo Schifrin, Alan Pasqua, Bill Watrous, Shelly Berg, John Daversa, Manhattan Transfer, Stevie Wonder, Nancy Wilson, Artie Shaw, Bob Mintzer, Dave Brubeck, Natalie Cole, Louis Bellson, Al Jarreau, Steve Miller, Randy Brecker, and James Moody. Scott has composed and arranged for many different artists, including Steve Miller, Ramsey Lewis, Natalie Cole, Ruben Studdard, Dave Koz, Ledisi, Burt Bacharach, Monica Mancini, Scott Martin, and the PBS Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, which aired in the spring of 2007.
In 2009, he cofounded Cultivating Creative Minds with his wife, Roxanne, which provides art instruction to elementary school-aged students throughout Santa Clarita, CA.
Scott has released two solo albums: "El Guapo (2013)" and "Wonders (2016)." An in-demand guest artist and clinician, Scott has performed for many colleges, high schools, and middle schools across the United States.
Since 2019, Scott has served as the musical director for the Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective. This ensemble aims to increase appreciation and awareness of jazz music through the performance of themed programs with cultural and historical significance to the history and development of American music. Since its formation, the RMJC has performed tributes to Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Blue Note Records, Oliver Nelson, and Sammy Nestico. In 2023, Scott arranged "Christmas on Broadway," a 100-minute-long holiday show for a big band, string orchestra, and Broadway vocalists Nicolas Dromard and Desirée Davaar. With Scott as guest conductor, the Billings Symphony Orchestra performed the show at the Alberta Bair Theater in December of 2023. Scott is writing ten new arrangements of Stevie Wonder's music, which the ensemble will perform in June 2024.
Scott is a D'Addario Performing Artist.