Loyola University New Orleans students will take the stage at the 3rd Annual NOLA Funk Fest, held Oct. 17 through 19 at Spanish Plaza on the Mississippi River.
The university’s “Passing the Torch” stage will highlight top Loyola jazz and funk musicians performing alongside New Orleans legends, McHugh said. He explained that he and Professor Kate Duncan use their Hilton Endowed Chair funds to support students performing at local festivals, from Funk Fest to French Quarter Fest to Freret Fest.
McHugh said Loyola’s Funk Fest involvement began three years ago when he and festival co-founder Chris Beary built a shared stage with NOCCA. He added that the collaboration featured Loyola’s Ben Delgado and Akeel Haroon, NOCCA pianist River Eckert, and Grammy-winning trombonist Craig Klein of the New Orleans Night Crawlers.
That performance will appear in an upcoming documentary film, McHugh said.
For the past two years, Loyola’s stage was outside the New Orleans Jazz Museum in the French Market parking lot, McHugh said. This year, the university will host its own stage next to the festival’s main stage, which McHugh said has the faculty and students “very excited.” He encouraged all Loyola students to attend and support their peers at the event.
Beary said the festival was created “to draw attention to untold stories of Louisiana-rooted American music, from Congo Street to the traditions of the Black masking Indians.”
He explained that the 2025 theme celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Wild Tchoupitoulas and honors the legacy of the Neville Brothers. Beary said the lineup includes the Headhunters, Dumpstaphunk, and Loyola student performers.
He added that this year will introduce a theater production featuring five Big Chiefs sharing cultural stories and a museum project with Loyola.
“The five Big Chiefs are the leaders of the tribes,” Beary said. “They are symbols of African, Creole, and Native American culture.”
Loyola student James Wyrtzen said being selected to perform “is an honor” and the biggest opportunity of his career so far. He said his music blends blues, jazz, funk, and country, inspired by New Orleans traditions.
“I hope people walk away from my performance, noticing all the different shapes and forms that New Orleans funk takes,” Wyrtzen said.
McHugh said Loyola hopes to make the Passing the Torch stage a lasting part of Funk Fest’s legacy. He encouraged the Loyola community to “come out and support our students as they share their music with the city.”
