A quintet of PJCE musicians performs music by the 2025 cohort of Young Jazz Composers for the first half of our Spring concert! Join us at McMenamin’s Mission Theater to hear original music by new composers written with the guidance of professional mentors and performers.
For the second half of the concert, our flagship 12-member ensemble performs works for the archives. Here an array of pieces from the last 10 years that were commissioned and performed by PJCE including:
- Douglas Detrick’s “Come Hell or High Water”
- George Colligan’s “Fathers and Sons”
- Kerry Politzer’s “Si, Se Puede”
- Darrell Grant’s “Champions”
- Jessika Smith’s “Swang”
- Ryan Meagher’s “Heavy Heart”
The Young Jazz Composers program is a mentorship and performance opportunity for students to learn the ins and outs of composing for a professional jazz ensemble. Through one-on-one private lessons and professional group feedback, students will gain valuable insight into the idiosyncrasies of composing. By the end of the program, students will be able to understand the basic skills needed to compose a tune, use digital notation software, and correctly notate parts for rhythm section and horns.
The 2025 YJC band features Mary-Sue Tobin on saxophone, Cyrus Nabipoor on trumpet, Josh on piano, Ben Medler on bass, and Ken Ollis on drums.
