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Guest Artist and Clinicians

2027 Jazz Festival Guest Artist: Marlene Rosenberg

Performer with chello

We are excited to announce that the guest artist for the 2027 University of Portland Jazz Festival is bassist Marlene Rosenberg!

With a career spanning decades on the international jazz scene, Marlene Rosenberg stands as one of the most respected and versatile bassists of her generation. Her work reflects a deep commitment to musical excellence, cultural dialogue, and artistic curiosity. A native of Chicago’s vibrant jazz community, Marlene has build a powerful body of work through performance, recording, composition, and education.

She has appeared on major stages across the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan, and has collaborated with an extraordinary range of iconic artists – from master instrumentalists and vocalists to tap dancers and interdisciplinary creators. Marlene has self-produced four albums featuring both standards and original compositions, demonstrating her range as a composer, arranger, and bandleader. Her voice on the bass blends tradition with modern nuance, shaped by influences from jazz, global music traditions, and contemporary improvisational approaches.

In addition to er extensive performing career, Marlene has become a highly influential educator and mentor, shaping the next generation of jazz artists through university teaching, master classes, festival adjudication, and community-based mentorship programs. Her artistry and leadership reflect decades of dedication to the advancement of jazz as both a musical practice and a cultural force.

Marlene serves on the faculty at Northern Illinois University and Roosevelt University and has previously taught at Northwestern, Western Illinois, and Elmhurst College. She also mentors emerging musicians through the Chicago Jazz Institute, grounding her teaching in musical architecture, critical listening, and global stylistic influences. Her students have toured internationally, taught at major institutions, and founded programs such as the Griffin Institute for the Performing Arts.

Her collaborative work extends to movement and multidisciplinary performance, including projects with Jimmy Slyde, Sarah Petronio’s Dance Company, and Jumaane Taylor for the Chicago Tap Dancers Forum. As a clinician and adjudicator, she has led sessions for the International Society of Bassists, Thelonious Monk Institute, Ravinia Mentors Program, Michigan State University, Arizona State University, and the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival.

Marlene’s artistic vision centers jazz as a language of connection and creativity, with her performance, composition, and teaching continuing to enrich the international jazz landscape.