Montana State ensemble to perform on International Jazz Day

BOZEMAN - Montana State University's One O'clock Jazz Ensemble will celebrate International Jazz Day with a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30.

The concert will be held in Howard Hall's Reynolds Recital Hall and livestreamed on the School of Music's YouTube channel. Musicians will play contemporary big band music along with swing, blues, funk and hard bop pieces, said Ryan Matzinger, director of jazz ensembles and assistant professor of jazz and saxophone for the MSU School of Music.

MSU has hosted the annual concert for about 10 years in honor of International Jazz Day, which commemorates the impact of jazz around the world and concludes Jazz Appreciation Month.

Matzinger said it is exciting to celebrate the growth of jazz at MSU since he began working with two jazz ensembles in 2011. Now, the program boasts two Jazz Workshop big bands, two jazz combo ensembles and the One O'clock Jazz Ensemble.

Concert tickets, which can be purchased at the door or online, are $5 for MSU students, $15 for the general public and are free for children up to 12th grade.