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.
PJCE’s 12-piece ensemble features Ryan Meagher on acoustic and electric guitar, Mary-Sue Tobin on soprano sax, flute, and clarinet, Mieke Bruggeman on bari sax and bass clarinet, Tim Willcox on tenor sax, Joe Manis alto sax, flute, and clarinet, Cyrus Nabipoor on trumpet, Quinn Walker on trumpet and flugelhorn, James Powers on trombone, Chris Shuttleworth on trombone, Jon shaw on Bass, Clay Giberson on piano, and Ken Ollis on drums.
The 2025 Young Jazz Composers:
- July Read is a young and aspiring composer who has been composing for about 6 months (though their roots spread 2 years back). They thoroughly enjoy writing, playing, and learning about music, and love trying out new things, which led them to sign up for the Young Jazz Composers program!
- Amelie Wright, Lakeridge High School, first started their music journey at 3 years old to learn piano, and now they play violin, sing in the Pacific Youth Choir, and compose. They tend to compose classically, so they decided to sign up for YJC to explore a new genre of music. Outside of music, they enjoy making visual art, theatre, and writing.
- Francis Vanbockel is a music major planning to pursue a degree in French Horn performance or music education. Even though they play an instrument not commonly associated with jazz, most of their musical background prior to playing horn is in playing upright bass in both classical and jazz settings. They’ve always been drawn to composition, but they’ve rarely had the chance to have something performed unless they played it themselves. When they saw the opportunity with YJC to have a full, recorded performance by local musicians, they knew that they had to join. They can’t wait to hear the final performance of both their and other local young composers’ pieces!
- Daniel Gerber, a sophomore at Grant High School, has loved music ever since Ithey started playing piano when they were 5. In 8th grade, they picked up their grandpa’s trombone just for fun and started seriously playing it after joining band in their freshman year. They started playing jazz last summer and composing it this fall. Aside from band, they also enjoy singing in choir, pole vaulting, learning new musical instruments, and reading.
- Anika Gupta is a junior at Sunset High School, and she’s always loved music. For the past few years, she has played classical and flamenco guitar and just started composing recently. She really wanted to learn more and get experience with composing, and YJC has been a super fun and helpful opportunity for her!
- Since his first lesson at age 3, playing drums has brought Jesse Broderick great happiness and success. “When I play the drums, I can hear entire songs in my head. Being able to materialize my more holistic creative visions via composition, especially in supportive programs like YJC, has led me to even greater enjoyment in my recent years. I plan to continue growing not simply as a drummer but as a musician!”
- James Lee is a 17-year-old classical and jazz pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Driven by creativity, he actively pursues a wide range of compositional opportunities, bridging both classical and jazz traditions. He has participated in fEARnoMUSIC’s Young Composers Project, composed for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Camerata string ensemble, and found further opportunities through Wilsonville High School’s ensembles and surrounding communities. Through the Young Composers Project, James was referred to the Young Jazz Composers program, an opportunity that perfectly aligned with his passion for jazz. Eager to refine his jazz writing skills, he has embraced this experience as a way to further grow as a musician.
