Jazz At Wolfson Presents Series Creator Steps Down After 25 Years

Fourteen years into his teaching career, jazz professor Michael Di Liddo was searching for a tool outside of the classroom to captivate students. 

Determined to make a change, Di Liddo reached out to New York City jazz musicians in hopes of creating a year-long program that featured free performances at Wolfson Campus. 

Jazz At Wolfson Presents was launched in 1998.

Twenty-five years later, the series has hosted more than 250 Jazz musicians including notable artists such as four-time Grammy-award winner John Riley, Boston-based guitarist Mike Stern and legendary jazz saxophonist, the late James Moody. 

Di Liddo, who has fostered the program into the longest-tenured free jazz series in Miami-Dade County, is stepping down as the initiative’s director in July. He is retiring from the College in December after 37 years.

“I felt like I had done everything that I could do to make the jazz program strong,” Di Liddo said. “ It’s time to turn it over to someone else for new ideas.

Lifelong Passion

Di Liddo was born in February of 1958 in Brooklyn, New York. His first musical milestone was when he  saw The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show on TV when he was six. 

“I remember watching this thing with my mouth wide open,” Di Liddo said, “Music like that hadn’t been played. It was very infectious.”

Tantalized by the British band’s rock music, Di Liddo committed his life to music. 

After spending some time in Long Island, his family moved to Hollywood, Florida when he was 13. 

During his time at Coconut Creek High School, Di Liddo formed a rock band called Rain. He was the group’s guitarist.

After graduating from high school, Di Liddo moved to Stuttgart, Germany after enlisting in the United States Army Band. Four years later, he returned to the U.S. to study music at Florida Atlantic University.

Once he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1984, Di Liddo began teaching music appreciation classes at Palm Beach State College while he worked on a doctorate degree in music at the University of Miami. During his time at UM, he began teaching part-time at MDC in 1985.   

After stints as an adjunct music professor at UM, MDC, Broward College and Palm Beach State College, Di Liddo was hired as a full-time jazz professor at Wolfson Campus in 1998. 

At MDC, Di Liddo teaches jazz history and instructs his students to improvise and arrange jazz melodies through five-person ensembles. 

“His art is his strength,” said Rosa Mayorga, the arts and philosophy department chair at Wolfson Campus. “When he plays a particular piece you can see his enjoyment.”

Lasting Legacy

During his four-decade-long teaching career, Di Liddo has influenced the lives of hundreds of students. 

In 2008, Kemuel Roig considered abandoning his promising musical career because he was unsure he could make a living doing what he loved.  

But Di Liddo convinced Roig to continue pursuing his passion. Today, the 34-year-old is a renowned jazz pianist who has toured internationally and performed with artists like Arturo Sandoval, Al Di Meola and Giovanni Hidalgo. 

“[Di Liddo] made me realize the blessing I actually had in my hands, and gave me the courage to keep going forward,” said Roig, who was featured at the Jazz at Wolfson Presents in October.

For the past year, Di Liddo has prepared Wolfson Campus adjunct professor Mark Small to take the reins of the Jazz At Wolfson Presents series.

The Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist and composer has performed on Broadway, the Sydney Opera House and Madison Square Garden. He’s also composed for musicians like Rozana Amed and Michael Bublé.

At MDC, Small has reserved venues, secured artists, scheduled events, organized rehearsals and promoted the series through the College’s public relations team. He hopes to offer outdoor events and free food at each performance. 

“Our main goal is community outreach and fostering a knowledge of jazz,” Small said.

During retirement, Di Liddo plans to continue being active in the jazz music scene. 

As he has done so for the past 31 years, Di Liddo will continue directing and playing the guitar for the quartet at Broward County’s North Creek Presbyterian Church. 

In August, Di Liddo is reuniting with his high school band for their 50-year anniversary. 

He also plans to travel, visiting Germany, Italy and Spain and spending time at his log home in Andrews, North Carolina, where he has a collection of antique radios, fans and clocks. 

“I’m going to miss him greatly,” said Irene Munoz, who serves as the College’s interim director of communications and promotes the Jazz At Wolfson Present series through email and social media marketing campaigns. “He’s a consummate professional, professor and artist.”

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