VCU Jazz Orchestra Bound for Prestigious Midwest Clinic

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Jazz Orchestra I will perform at the 61st annual Midwest Clinic next week in Chicago, becoming the first university jazz band in Virginia ever selected to play at the renowned band and orchestra conference.

The 18-member big band group will join 29 other organizations from around the world at the conference, which is being held Dec. 18-22. The jazz group will perform eight pieces on Dec. 19. In addition to the live performance, the Midwest Clinic’s Web site will broadcast excerpts from the performance for the following year.

Antonio García, the director of VCU Jazz Studies, said he had never previously submitted music from a university group to be considered for inclusion in the event’s program, but he believed the members of Jazz Orchestra I were ready for the big stage that the Midwest Clinic provides.

“This is a highly sought-after invitation and a significant step for the program,” García said. “And we’re aware that we will be playing for very experienced and sensitive ears and that the standards are quite high.”

García said the selection of Jazz Orchestra I for the conference had served to accelerate the ensemble’s development – both individually and as a group. He said the upcoming performance has been an inspiration to the student musicians, spurring rapid growth, and will represent an important benchmark for the Jazz Studies program at VCU.

“An invitation like this serves as a challenge in life,” García said. “The band is at a real peak and the challenge is to continue to rise.”

For more information about VCU Music, visit http://www.vcumusic.org.