The Jerome Porter Quintet — From Kenosha to Germany

Name: The Jerome Porter Quintet — From Kenosha to Germany
Start: 2026-09-05T16:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-09-05T17:30:00-05:00
Location: The White Lilac, 6th Avenue, Kenosha, WI, USA

Schedule

Sat Sep 05 2026 at 04:30 pm to 05:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

The White Lilac, 6th Avenue, Kenosha, WI, USA | Kenosha, WI

Support some of Kenosha’s rising young jazz musicians — and help send some homegrown music across the Atlantic.
About this Event

The Jerome Porter Quintet:

Michael Alberts - Drums

Liam Perotto - Bass

Jerome Porter - Keys

Makenna Strebe - Alto Saxophone

Emily Dao - Vocals

comes to White Lilac for a special intimate performance and fundraiser before heading to Wolfenbüttel, Germany — Kenosha’s Sister City since 1970.

Born in Chicago and raised in Kenosha, Jerome Porter has been developing into one of the area’s exciting young musical voices. A senior at UW–Parkside studying Contemporary Commercial Music with a focus in composition, Porter is a trumpeter, keyboardist and composer whose music draws from classic jazz and R&B while increasingly developing a sound of his own.

UW–Parkside jazz professor Russ Johnson, who has known Porter since his high-school days, points to creativity as one of the qualities that most defines him. Porter has composed and performed original works throughout his time at Parkside, including music written for the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

And Kenosha audiences are beginning to take notice.

In August, Porter led an ensemble of emerging UW–Parkside musicians in opening the 2026 HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival, appearing on a lineup that also included Chicago trumpeter Corey Wilkes and Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum.

Now you can hear Jerome and the quartet the way jazz is meant to be heard — up close, in White Lilac’s intimate listening room.

A Concert With a Purpose

This performance is also a fundraiser to help Jerome and his fellow musicians travel to Wolfenbüttel, Germany, strengthening a cultural connection that has linked Kenosha and Wolfenbüttel for more than half a century.

Proceeds will help the musicians with the incidental travel expenses that come with taking this opportunity overseas.

Tickets are intentionally limited, and anyone who would like to support the trip beyond the price of admission will also have the opportunity to make an additional donation.

Come hear some of the young talent being developed right here in our community, support their next big adventure, and help send a little bit of Kenosha jazz to Germany.

The Jerome Porter Quintet at White Lilac
An intimate concert. A hometown fundraiser. And a chance to help emerging Kenosha musicians take their music halfway around the world.