Department of Music

The UVA Jazz Ensemble, directed by trumpeter/composer John D’earth, will present their Winter Concert on Saturday, February 27^th, at 8:00 PM in Old Cabell Auditorium.

The concert will feature classic jazz and new works that showcase the large jazz ensemble as a vehicle for jazz composition.  Music by trend-setters Thad Jones, Count Basie, Frank Foster, and John Coltrane will appear alongside well known standards like Mean To Me and Angel Eyes.  Filling out the program will be original music from within the band supplied by ensemble director D’earth and by community band member, and trombonist extraordinaire, Doug Bethel. 

By naming their concert, “The Year of the Jazz Composer,” the Jazz Ensemble and D’earth are looking forward to this year, the first of a new era for UVA’s McIntire Department of Music.  D’earth explains:

“We begin 2016 with a new chair for our music department, Matthew Burtner, who is a celebrated composer and one of the architects of our cutting-edge composition program.  Years ago, when Matthew first arrived at UVA, he and I collaborated in several ways.  He was a guest artist with the Jazz Ensemble, playing his self-invented meta-saxophone, which functioned both acoustically and electronically.  And the Jazz Ensemble also performed an entire concert of Matthew’s students’ compositions.  Professor Burtner has called for a synergistic approach to our musical activities and this is reflected across the University in calls for inter-disciplinary action, community engagement, and self-created curriculae.  I have always shamelessly written for this band and have unconsciously treated it as my own personal Jazz Composer’s Orchestra.  But with a composer leading our department and calling for synergy I want to think of it, now, as the UVA Jazz Composer’s Collective, and invite other composers to submit works for the band to play. That’s why we are playing a beautiful piece from my old and dear friend, Doug Bethel, who has been so generous to us in volunteering to be our lead trombonist.  I am very pleased that he will be the first this year to accept my invitation to write for the band.  And I plan to take full advantage of that invitation, myself!”

Bethel’s composition, Ensenada Getaway, appeared on his first CD, Ten Worlds, which features his own writing.  He is currently finishing his third CD and is recognized by all who know him as a true master of jazz music and his instrument.  The Jazz Ensemble is extremely grateful to have a person of his caliber contribute, so generously, of his time and expertise. 

Jazz Ensemble Director John D’earth has been engaged in writing an opera called Sacred Profanity. (He hopes to perform opera excerpts with the Jazz Ensemble and numerous guest singers from the opera’s just completed workshop presentation at Live Arts Theater; that Jazz Ensemble Concert will be a matinee performance on Sunday, April 24^th.)

For this winter concert the band will play several D’earth compositions including Beyond Belief, Ngoni, (from Natural Bridge) and two pieces from D’earth’s song cycle Ephemera: A Girl at Dawn, and A Blade of Dune Grass.  The songs, which are settings of poems by D’earth’s brother, Paul Smyth, will be sung by guest vocalist and violinist Julia Kwolyk.

“We are thrilled to have Julia with us!” exclaims D’earth   She sang a role in my opera and will sing in our April concert, as well.  It has always been my belief that composition and improvisation should be an intrinsic part of every musician’s education, as they were in Bach’s time, and Mozart’s.  Our beliefs are very important to us and I am grateful that Julia exemplifies this belief of mine since she, herself, composes and improvises beautifully.  But we are playing my tune Beyond Belief so I will also say that Julia’s abilities as a singer and instrumentalist demonstrate the condition of being beyond belief quite admirably!”

Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for students and free for U.Va Students who reserve in advance. Tickets can be purchased at the Arts Box Office by calling 434.924.3376 or visiting www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu.

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.