Dr. Doreen Ketchens—the Clarinet Queen of New Orleans—is a virtuoso jazz clarinetist who performs traditional jazz. She has performed at concert halls, music festivals, US embassies, and for four US presidents. IUP is delighted to welcome Ketchens as an Edward R. Sims Distinguished Artist.
She will play traditional jazz favorites with the IUP Jazz Band, conducted by Jim Flowers, and the University Band, conducted by Jason Worzbyt.
Ketchens has been called Lady Louie, Miss Satchmo, and the Female Louis Armstrong, to name a few. On May 26, 2022, she was honored with a doctorate degree in music from Five Towns College in Long Island, New York. Now she is Dr. Doreen J. Ketchens!
Doreen has changed the way scholars view their clarinets. She has successfully created her own style that blends her classical training with the soul of jazz.
Her intense passion gets under your skin and brings you to a new place, be it gospel, blues, R&B, classical, or jazz. Doreen Ketchens can rock her clarinet on many levels, then sing like a songbird on a sunny day.
Doreen has been called many names because she plays like Charlie “Bird” Parker, sings like Mahalia Jackson, and has the chops and personality of Louis Armstrong. Doreen can be found in numerous radio and television shows, including Treme on HBO and Drunk History, and in music videos and movies, including Out of Blue, Come On, Come On, Tyler Perry’s Temptation, and recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS Sunday Morning.