ENSEMBLE

In collaboration with award-winning composer and arranger, Omar Thomas, two University of Nevada, Reno student ensembles open for Marquis Hill: Jazz Lab I and Nevada Wind Ensemble. This special collaboration is the culminating performance following Thomas’ weeklong residency at the University. The University’s premier jazz ensemble will perform his multi-layered masterpiece, “We Will Know: An LGBT Civil Rights Piece in Four Movements” and the Nevada Wind Ensemble will perform “Mother of a Revolution” and “Of Our New Day Begun.” Jazz Lab I is directed by Josh D. Reed; Nevada Wind Ensemble is directed by Reed Chamberlin.

& DAYTIME CONCERTS

SEE MAP ON PAGE 37 FOR VENUE LOCATIONS SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FRIDAY 04.28

10 a.m. // Hall Recital Hall, University Foundation Arts Building

Masterclass with Joel Ross

Hear and learn from this Festival headliner, professional vibraphonist, musical visionary and New School alumnus.

11 a.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Jazz Ballad 101: A Systematic Approach to Advance Musical Interpretation

Learn about and discuss various strategies for developing musical interpretation and improvisation on jazz ballads. Be ready to participate and share your experiences. Gain tools to help you on your individual journey toward performing the ballad style.

WORKSHOPS & DAYTIME CONCERTS / FRIDAY 04.28

11 a.m. // Ballroom A, Joe Crowley Student Union

Keeping it at a Simmer: Composition Through Daily Improvisation

Learn, watch and discuss how to sustain a compositional mindset by integrating free, structured improvisation into your daily practice routine. Even mundane technical exercises can be turned into opportunities to discover and develop musical ideas.

Reno Jazz Festival’s 2023 Composer Clarinetist, Saxophonist, Composer Adjunct Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Director, World Jazz Studies, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

12 p.m. // Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building

Concert: Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Student Ensemble

Enjoy this inspiring performance by a diverse ensemble of musicians studying their craft at this renowned institution: Isaac Coyle on bass; Guilhem Fourty on drums; Anabel Gil-Diaz on flute; and Roella Oloro on piano.

This rockstar ensemble also opens the Saturday Festival Showcase (4/29, 7P) which features a curated selection of student performances that showcase creativity, innovation, fresh perspectives and exceptional sound.

Tickets to Festival Showcase at Box Office locations (see page 36)

1 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Playing Outside the Changes

Why do musicians want to play "outside?" Discover various approaches to "playing outside" from different perspectives.

Dawn Clement

Assistant Professor, Jazz & American Music Department, Metropolitan State University of Denver

1 p.m. // Auditorium, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Modal Explorations

Every mode has its own character defined by tension and release, lightness versus darkness. Explore the vast world of modes and all that they offer for harmonic exploration.

Anisha Rush

Saxophonist, Composer, Educator Faculty member of SheBop, Jazz Camp for Young Women

2 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Hodges: Front and Center

Explore music and collaborations in the context of Johnny Hodges’ work outside his wellknown role in Duke Ellington’s orchestra. Attendees will have the opportunity to play repertoire from more than 20 arrangements for quintet, transcribed from the saxophone icon’s recordings with luminaries like Gerry Mulligan, Ben Webster and Clark Terry.

Owen Broder

Saxophonist, Bandleader, Composer Lecturer at Portland State University and Pacific University

WORKSHOPS & DAYTIME CONCERTS / FRIDAY 04.28

3 p.m. // Auditorium, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Meditation in Performance

Learn how to use grounding and guided meditation in music, to expand your creative process and performance, and in life, including techniques to manage stress, performance anxiety and negative self-talk.

Vocalist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Arranger, Educator Professor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA

3 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Jazz Education in America

Discover and explore George Colligan’s philosophy of jazz education based on his experiences as a jazz performer and educator.

George Colligan

Pianist, Organist, Drummer, Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader Assistant Professor at Portland State University

ELEVATING TOMORROW’S JAZZ ARTISTS TODAY

By sharing their insights, our esteemed festival Artist Educators ignite aspiring musicians to celebrate the rich heritage of jazz while striding into the future.

We thank all our Artist Educators and guest performers for their vital role in creating a dynamic festival that enlightens and exhilarates.

For Artist Educator bios, visit unr.edu/jazz-festival/artist-educators

& DAYTIME CONCERTS

SEE MAP ON PAGE 37 FOR VENUE LOCATIONS SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

SATURDAY 04.29

10 a.m. // Hall Recital Hall, University Foundation Arts Building

Masterclass with Marquis Hill

Hear and learn from this Festival headliner, leading trumpeter, composer and experienced educator.

11 a.m. // Auditorium, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Applying to Collegiate Music School Programs

Learn all there is to know about applying to music school. Topics include general university application processes, music school applications, pre-screening requirements, creating a résumé, live and remote auditions and putting your best foot forward to receive scholarships.

Setting New Standards with Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice

Join this energizing panel discussion about gender, jazz and the barriers to equity that exist today. The panel explores how to navigate and change the rules of the game for a more equitable future of jazz.

Partnering for Equity in Jazz

The esteemed Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice is working to change the way jazz is perceived and presented. Its ultimate goal is a future of jazz that, unlike the past, illuminates, embraces and fosters all of its creative contributors, regardless of gender and race.

The Reno Jazz Festival is continuing its partnership with the Institute to make their shared vision a reality and ensure that conversations about jazz and equity are taking place at each Festival. In addition, the Festival is dedicated to hiring artists and educators from underrepresented communities in jazz (this year 80% of all artists/educators fit this category) and annually commissions new music from underrepresented communities in jazz.

To learn more about BIJGJ visit college.berklee.edu/jazz-gender-justice

WE DON’T DO ONE-DIMENSIONAL.

Reno Tahoe is ready to show you good times you’ll want to relive again and again. Whether you have a love of food, passion for music or need for speed, our calendar is filled with events and festivals that will make your days and nights come to life.

WORKSHOPS & DAYTIME CONCERTS / SATURDAY 04.29

12 p.m. // Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building

Concert: Reno Jazz Orchestra

Get your jazz on during this show featuring Northern Nevada’s ever-popular, 17-piece, contemporary big band ensemble.

1 p.m. // Auditorium, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Becoming a Better Musician: Active Listening On & Off the Bandstand

Jazz is a language best learned and shared through listening. Learn about the concept of active listening and the ways in which all musicians can grow by employing it — on the bandstand, alone in practice sessions, in compositional practice and with all types of music.

(For musicians at any ability level)

1 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Masterclass with Tal Cohen

Learn and hear from the passionate Grammy Award-winning and in-demand jazz pianist.

From Stage to Studio: Getting Started with Music Production

Explore the world of music production and gain an understanding of what producers do and how they work. Connect the dots between the worlds of live performance and composition and understand how jazz musicians can get started as producers of their own or their peers’ projects. Also, learn about some basic recording technology and production tools, including DAWs, interfaces and plugins.

Don’t just imagine dancing to the

2 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

Somatic Practice: Connecting Improvisation to the Mind and Body

Develop a brief somatic practice, including sensation awareness, breathing techniques and grounding exercises. Learn how to incorporate these strategies into technical practices in music to be more mindful when playing and improvising to effect a deeper experience.

3 p.m. // USAC Building, 2nd Floor

The High Note Is NOT Your Destination

Explore and tackle the key musical elements of singing to make phrasing feel more conversational and free.

3 p.m. // Auditorium, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

Composer

Meet + Greet with Julian Tanaka

Join 2023 Reno Jazz Festival composer for an informal meet and greet. The exceptionally talented composer, clarinetist and saxophonist composed Path of the Jedi for this year’s Reno Jazz Festival participants. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Julian — especially if you are one of the students performing this original piece during the Festival.

2023 Festival Composer

As Festival composer Julian Tanaka created an original composition, Path of the Jedi. Participating schools have the option to perform it during the Festival.

Julian Tanaka is an uber-talented and nuanced jazz saxophonist and clarinetist whose work is inventive and evocative and whose improvisational skills are stellar. Equally comfortable playing jazz, reggae, hip-hop, R&B and rock music, he’s shared the stage with the Count Basie Orchestra and Postmodern Jukebox and played in several production shows on the Las Vegas Strip. Some of his standout musical endeavors are touring internationally with the hit Broadway musical “Come Fly Away,” backing Grammy award-winning Boyz II Men during their Las Vegas residency and playing in another hit musical, “Baz.” The woodwind specialist has also earned a strong reputation with his own ensemble, the Julian Tanaka Quartet, for which he writes and arranges music. His composing experience is vast, having written traditional big band charts, conducted large ensemble-free improvisations and arranged for pops orchestras.