The Cal U Jazz Ensemble is
tuning up to compete April 10-12 at the 52nd annual Reno Jazz Festival, held at the University
of Nevada, Reno.
The 27-member ensemble will compete April 12 in the Four-Year College Band category in the festival’s All-Star Performers competition, playing a 30-minute set for a panel of judges.
The winners of each category will perform later that night at the Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony, held in the nearly 12,000-seat Lawlor Events Center.
The Jazz Ensemble will join hundreds of bands, ensembles and vocal groups at the festival. Cal U students will participate in master classes and music clinics, and hear performances by jazz celebrities at the event.
“The ultimate goal is to win your category, and then get the chance to perform in front of thousands,” says Dr. Charles “Marty” Sharer, director of bands.
“This is something we can maybe do every five or 10 years, but it’s something our students will remember the rest of their lives.”
Hear Cal U musicians
Members of the campus community can hear the Jazz Ensemble, and other Cal U musicians, performing on campus this spring. These performances are free and open to the public:
- April 5 — Concert Band and University Choir: 2 p.m. at Honors Convocation, Cal U Convocation Center
- April 14 — Voice instructor Lisa Brovey-Kovach: 8 p.m. recital, Gallagher Hall, Room 107
- April 15 — University Choir, Cal Singers, Vulcanize and Accapella Stella: 8 p.m. performance, Morgan Hall Auditorium
- April 17 — Concert Band: 8 p.m. concert, Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre
- April 28 — Cal Orchestra: 8 p.m. concert, Gallagher Hall, Room 107
- April 29 — Music Department standouts: 8 p.m. Honors Recital, Gallagher Hall, Room 107
- May 1 (Tentative) — Jazz Ensemble: 8 p.m. concert, Morgan Hall Auditorium