Department of Music

The UVA Jazz Ensemble, directed by John D’earth, will present their first concert of this academic year and their last of three concerts in 2016 that celebrate jazz composition.  The Sunday matinee concert, entitled Jazz Prophecy, will take place at 3:30 PM in Old Cabell Auditorium.  Having designated 2016 as the “Year of the Jazz Composer,” the Jazz Ensemble is extending a recent tradition by inviting UVA alumna, bassist, composer, bandleader, and architectural designer, Dhara Goradia, as their guest artist/composer.  The UVA jazz program, and the performing arts in general at UVA, have nurtured many successful careers over the generations and the Jazz Ensemble has invited, as guest performers, former members who have gone on to create their own careers as jazz artists.  Ms. Goradia has been composing extensively for her two bands over the past few years, Quiet Fire in Charlottesville, and Emerald Flame in Seattle, Washington, where she completed her Master’s degree in architecture.

Dhara Goradia grew up in Charlottesville, VA, where she learned jazz in the Burley Middle School jazz band starting on piano and electric bass before eventually dedicating herself to the upright bass at the age of 16. She played for the award winning Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble, was named the All-Star Rhythm Section Player at the Chantilly Jazz Festival, and was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award upon graduating. She went on to play for the University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble and several small jazz combos while studying bass, with Pete Spaar.  As the bassist for the UVA Jazz Ensemble she appeared in performances with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Terence Blanchard, Dave Liebman, Branford Marsalis, and Ritchie Cole.  In 2011, Dhara attended Berklee College of Music on a scholarship, where she focused on performance and composition, while also nurturing a passion for what she feels is one of the most powerful aspects of music -- collaboration with talented peers from across the globe.  Dhara resided in Seattle, Washington from 2012-2016 where she led the modern jazz/fusion trio Emerald Flame.  All of this was achieved concurrently with obtaining two degrees in architecture and working full time in that field.  She has always felt great congruence between her work as a musician/composer and as an architect.

Jazz Ensemble director, John D’earth began his close association with Ms. Goradia while she was still in high school.  He has welcomed her as a first-call sub in his professional band and has performed and recorded as a sideman in her band, Quiet Fire.

The concert will also feature a new work for electronics and Jazz Ensemble by composer and McIntire Music Department chair, Matthew Burtner, entitled, Piece for a Northern Sky.  Also on the program: a new arrangement by Jazz Ensemble pianist, Peter Hodskins, Ice Fall, and works by Charles Mingus (Fables of Faubus) Herbie Hancock (One Finger Snap) and D’earth (The Way is Through.)  As a special touch, the concert will feature second year vocalist, Joy Collins, performing a medley, Goodbye, Goodbye, combining two standards, an introspective orchestration of the torch song, Goodbye, and an explosive samba/swing rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye, arranged by Rob Lussier.

D’earth speaks with great pride about the accomplishments of his former students. “I am always gratified when a student becomes a colleague, someone you want to play with and exchange creative ideas.  I have always loved Dhara’s approach to music, which combines a fierce work ethic with beastly musical intensity and an unusually lyrical compositional sensibility.  She is a strong player.  The music she writes is accessible; people are drawn into it.  It is simple but never simplistic.  Now she is expanding her compositional range to include large orchestrations which contain all the structural integrity and functional creativity one might expect from an architect!  The band is really enjoying being invited into her musical world.”

Ms. Goradia has contributed four of her own compositions to the Sunday afternoon concert: The Prophecy, Deliverance, Reverence, and Elephanta Island, all of which can be heard on her Quiet Fire and Emerald Flame CDs.  Joining her in the concert will be the two othermembers of her trio, Shawn Schlogel on piano and Max Holmberg on drums.  They will be working closely with the Jazz Ensemble’s rhythm section to create new combinations of bass and percussion.

D’earth also commented on the wedding of electronic (computer) music to traditionally acoustic jazz.  “Jazz has been electric since Charlie Christian and Miles took it all the way there by embracing rock.  Innovations in “serious” composition have always influenced jazz just as ‘jazz’ has influenced modern ‘classical’ music.  In Piece for a Northern Sky, we will be performing to a pre-composed/pre-recorded electronic sound bed, created by Matthew, to which we will add, in real time, his composed acoustic counterpart, and our own improvisations.  Like much of Matthew Burtner’s work, Piece for a Northern Sky is based on close sonic representations of natural phenomenon as read by modern scientific methods and instruments.  Personally, I have always heard jazz as nature music, so this resonates with me.  This piece, which he composed especially for us, deals with an atmospheric vortex above the Arctic Circle.   Dhara is bringing us her personal Prophecy and the inclusion of Matthew’s piece fulfills the idea of a Jazz Prophecy, implied from the beginning of the music, that jazz can/will include and embrace, anything and everything.”

Tickets are $10 General, $9 for UVA Faculty & Staff, $5 for Students and Free for UVA Students who reserve in advance. Tickets can be purchased at the Arts Box Office at artsboxoffice.virginia.edu or by calling 434.924.3376.

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda. (map) Parking is available in the central grounds parking garage on Emmet Street, in the C1 parking lot off McCormick Rd, and in the parking lots at the UVA Corner.  Handicap parking is available in the small parking lot adjacent to Bryan Hall.

All programs are subject to change. For more information please call the McIntire Department of Music at 434.924.3052.

More information about the guest artists: 

Emerald Flame is a modern world/fusion jazz trio led by bassist and composer Dhara Goradia.  Consisting of Shawn Schlogel on piano and Max Holmberg on drums, the trio met in Seattle in 2015 somewhat by chance and quickly began experimenting with original music and found sounds.  The trio plays music that is largely influenced by folk traditions from Africa and the middle east while using concepts of modern jazz and pop to structure each composition.   Shawn, Dhara and Max each bring their individual approach to improvisation while maintaining a consistent synergy with each other to create a sound for the band that is unique and one of a kind.

In 2016, Emerald Flame released their debut self-titled album in Seattle, WA and continues to share their music with friends and fans all over the east coast.

Dhara Goradia, Bass

Bassist, composer and bandleader Dhara Goradia grew up in Charlottesville, VA, where she learned jazz in the Burley Middle School jazz band starting on piano and electric bass before eventually dedicating herself to the upright bass at the age of 16. She played for the award winning Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble, and was named the All-Star Rhythm Section Player at the Chantilly Jazz Festival, and was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award upon graduating. She went on to play for the University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble and several small jazz combos studying under the direction of John D’earth, and appeared in performances with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Terence Blanchard, Dave Liebman, Branford Marsalis, and Ritchie Cole.  In 2011, Dhara attended Berklee College of Music on a scholarship, where she gained the invaluable experience of focusing on her musical development related to performance and composition, while also nurturing a passion for what she feels is one of the most powerful aspects of music -- collaboration with her incredibly talented peers from across the globe.  Dhara resided in Seattle, Washington from 2012-2016 where she led and composed music for the modern jazz/fusion trio Emerald Flame.  

Dhara has extensive experience in several genres, and has spent time touring with bands in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and all over Virginia. She also played with the Charlottesville University Symphony Orchestra, and various chamber groups in central Virginia.  Dhara also leads local world/jazz/fusion band Quiet Fire and west coast trio Emerald Flame and can currently be found performing in many diverse bands around Central Virginia.  

Shawn Schlogel, Piano

Shawn Schlogel is an acclaimed pianist/keyboardist, composer and educator based in Seattle, WA. He grew up in Boise, ID where he took to improvisation and piano composition at an early age. From Idaho, Shawn would continue a life of music centered heavily on contemporary styles such as jazz, R&B, pop and rock. Shawn studied under the arranging master and vocal jazz/big band director, Dave Barduhn at Mount Hood Community College. He was the last pianist for Barduhn’s historic VJ group, Genesis, before it was retired. Immediately after receiving his degree, Shawn was called to Bellevue College where he presides as piano faculty and accompanist for the award winning VJ Choir, Celebration. In the Pacific Northwest, Shawn is known as a well-established keyboardist experienced in many eclectic styles. Thus, he is called to work on a wide range of projects from straight ahead jazz to indie synth pop. His compositions are known to be dynamic, progressive and genre-bending. As an educator, Shawn has reached out to over a thousand students of all ages from his private studio, after-school enrichment, clinician work and class work. He is avid about helping others find their musical potential and, especially, their personal enjoyment in music. He is known as a teacher of profound empathy, able to meet each student at a personal level of growth and need.

Max Holmberg, Drums

Max Holmberg first started getting to know the drum set at his grandpa's house at age two. Born into a family of actors and musicians, it's no surprise that the first music he remembers listening to is Count Basie. Max was primarily self-taught on the drum set through his time in the jazz programs at Eckstein Middle School and Roosevelt High School, though several mentors such as Moc Escobedo, Benny Green, Bertram Lehmann, Katia Roberts, Neal Smith, Ralph Peterson Jr, Bob Tamagni, Ernesto Diaz, Tyler Richart, Benny Green, and Joanne Brackeen have helped him along the way. Max then moved to Boston for four years where he completed his B.M. at Berklee College of Music. Upon completion, he returned to Seattle where he can be found performing with many diverse projects and bands including the 200 Trio, The Arsonists, The Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the Kareem Kandi Band, as well as teaching out of his studio and at the Seattle Drum School. Max also hosts the Sunday night jam session at the Angry Beaver in Greenwood.  He has played live on 88.5 KPLU, appeared on CBS 11, PBS 9 and KING 5 with various bands and has toured everywhere from San Francisco to the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy.

Throughout Max's musical journey, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with many notable musicians including Wynton Marsalis, the late Rashied Ali, the late James Moody, Sean Jones, Joanne Brackeen, Joe Lovano, Wayne Krantz, Eddie Gomez, Lizz Wright, Gerald Clayton, Julian Priester, Cuong Vu and many others.