Now in its tenth year being featured at the Elhart Jazz Festival, French Quarter performs a tasteful blend of mainstream jazz. Audiences love the variety and toe- tapping traditional sound of French Quarter. French Quarter is comprised of four outstanding Michiana area musicians:

Clarinetist and Saxophonist Chris French, is a native of Southern California, and his career extends from the Midwest, to Los Angeles, New York City, Florida, Chicago, and Mexico. Chris is equally at home performing as soloist, with symphony orchestras, jazz groups of all sizes, new music ensembles, and chamber music. He has shared the stage with (among many others) Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra Jr, Henry Mancini, Bruce Broughton, Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, and Georg Solti. A graduate of the Juilliard School and a dedicated music educator, he is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Notre Dame.

Marian Emery, pianist and educator, graduated from Penn State University and performed in Philadelphia clubs where she played alongside Jonah Jones. She taught piano and music theory at Indiana University South Bend for over twenty years. She has served on the boards of Fischoff National Chamber Music Association and the Raclin School of the Arts and has performed with most of the jazz organizations in the South Bend, Elkhart area.

Sean Patrick is a bass player and Fort Wayne native.  Primarily a music educator, Sean moved to Michiana to teach in the Elkhart Community Schools in 2008 and has taught orchestra in the area for the past 15 years.  He currently performs with the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra, the Tom Milo Big Band, The Generations Trio, VibeNation, and the French Quarter.

Drummer Jim Catalano is a University of Notre Dame graduate who supported the local Elkhart economy in sales & marketing for the music instrument industry for 4 decades. As a professional musician, Jim performs on drums, vibes and symphonic percussion. Jim is currently an adjunct instructor at The Univ. of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College.