UO Jazz Studies

UO Jazz Studies The University of Oregon is home to one of the most exciting jazz studies programs in the country.

For the third year in a row, the University of Oregon Jazz Studies program has DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award rec...
05/14/2026

For the third year in a row, the University of Oregon Jazz Studies program has DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award recipients! Congratulations to the Herbert J. Merker JazzArts Oregon Combo, outstanding small jazz ensemble in the college division, and to Luke Turner, who was recognized for his big band arrangement of “You’re My Everything.”

Pictured from left to right are the members of the Herbert J. Merker JazzArts Oregon Combo: Luke Hendrickson (bass, junior), Antonio Soltero (guitar, graduate student), Aaron Noland (piano, freshman), Luke Turner (tenor saxophone, graduate student), Chris Carthum (trumpet, graduate student), Anderson Donley (drums, junior), and their instructor, Professor Keith Brown.

Established in 1976, the Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards are among the most prestigious awards in jazz education. Each year, the competition receives applications from students and ensembles at the world’s leading programs in jazz studies.

This Saturday, May 9, the Faculty Jazz Ensemble returns to the . Along with tributes to Miles Davis and John Coltrane,...
05/06/2026

This Saturday, May 9, the Faculty Jazz Ensemble returns to the . Along with tributes to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, the ensemble will be performing a number of new original works! Featuring on saxophone, on trumpet, on guitar, on piano, on drums, and sitting in on bass.

Two weeks from today! joins the Oregon Jazz Ensemble in Beall Hall at the Melissa Aldana is an internationally acclaim...
04/24/2026

Two weeks from today! joins the Oregon Jazz Ensemble in Beall Hall at the

Melissa Aldana is an internationally acclaimed tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose work reflects a deep engagement with the jazz tradition alongside a forward-looking artistic voice. On this special evening, she joins the award-winning Oregon Jazz Ensemble to perform a variety of her compositions arranged for large jazz ensemble. Born in Santiago, Chile, Aldana’s music blends lyricism, harmonic depth, and narrative composition, often drawing inspiration from literature, visual art, and personal reflection. Now based in New York City, she performs extensively around the world with her quartet and continues to expand the expressive possibilities of the tenor saxophone in contemporary jazz.

April 18 at 7:30 pm, The Oregon Jazz Ensemble returns to the Jazz Station for an evening of innovative big band music. S...
04/13/2026

April 18 at 7:30 pm, The Oregon Jazz Ensemble returns to the Jazz Station for an evening of innovative big band music. Significant historical works from the Basie Orchestra and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra will be performed alongside new works by students, faculty, as well as other contemporary composers including Ayn Inserto, Florian Ross, Alan Ferber, and others.

Before that, several small jazz ensembles from the University of Oregon’s jazz studies program will be performing a free opening set featuring a variety of American Songbook tunes, jazz classics, and student compositions/arrangements.

The winter concert of the University of Oregon Large Jazz Ensembles is almost here! Joining us will be special guest, co...
02/12/2026

The winter concert of the University of Oregon Large Jazz Ensembles is almost here! Joining us will be special guest, composer Ayn Inserto! Come listen to the Oregon Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Lab Bands performing Inserto’s music in Beall Hall on Friday, February 20, at 7:00 pm.



*****

Ayn Inserto is a groundbreaking composer who is emerging as one of the preeminent voices of her generation. She received her Master of Music degree in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory and was picked by Bob Brookmeyer to study jazz composition as his protégé.

Her music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC), Stadtgarten (Köln), the Berklee Performance Center, Vanderbilt University, Boston Symphony Hall, JEN Conferences, New England Conservatory of Music, Brown University, Montreux Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival, Terni Jazz Festival, the Fano Jazz Festival and other venues.

Inserto has been commissioned by the WDR Big Band, Carnegie Hall for the NYO Jazz Ensemble, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, The Jazz Education Network, Harvard Jazz Band, Jennifer Wharton and by many others. She and Jim NcNeely arranged and orchestrated the music of Linda May Han Oh for the Frankfurt Radio Big Band (Hessischer Rundfunk) and was the music director and conductor for two performances, one at Centralstation Darmstadt and a second at hr-Sendesaal Frankfurt. She has given masterclasses and clinics at the Panama Jazz Festival, IMEP Paris College of Music, International College of Music in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Seoul Jazz Academy, Arcevia Jazz Seminar, Rossini Conservatory of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium and at many other institutions.

Read more at ayninserto.com

Join us this Friday, February 13, as the UO Small Jazz Ensembles return to the Jazz Station. Come for the free 5 pm show...
02/10/2026

Join us this Friday, February 13, as the UO Small Jazz Ensembles return to the Jazz Station. Come for the free 5 pm show, stay for the evening performance featuring the Merker and Sandine Ensembles with guest artist, George Colligan.



*****
George Colligan has earned an international reputation as a multi-instrumentalist (drums, trumpet, organ, keyboards), composer, accompanist, teacher and bandleader, as well as a widely read jazz blogger. Winner of the 2015 DownBeat Critics Poll (Keyboard), he has maintained a long-standing musical association with jazz legend Jack DeJohnette, including extensive U.S. touring with An Evening with Jack DeJohnette and Savion Glover. More recently, Colligan toured the U.S. and Canada as a leader with his trio featuring Buster Williams and Lenny White.

With more than 130 recordings to his credit as a sideman, Colligan has collaborated with an extraordinary range of jazz artists, including John Scofield, Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and many others. His most recent release, King’s Dream (PJCE Records, 2022), is his 36th album as a bandleader and features faculty and alumni from Portland State University.

After fifteen years in New York City, Colligan now resides in Portland, Oregon, where he serves as Full Professor at Portland State University. His work has been recognized with multiple grants, including awards from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, South Arts Jazz Road and PSU Faculty Development. He has also received the PSU College of the Arts Dean’s Council Award for Research, Scholarship and Creativity (2020) and the Researcher of the Year Award from the PSU College of the Arts (2021).

Throughout his career, George Colligan has toured, recorded and performed as a sideman with an exceptional list of jazz luminaries, among them Lonnie Plaxico, Gary Bartz, Benny Golson, Miguel Zenón, Tom Harrell, Steve Coleman, Eddie Henderson, Jane Monheit, Michael Brecker, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Mingus Big Band, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker and Stefon Harris, among many others.

University of Oregon Summer Jazz Camp Registration is LIVE! The University of Oregon Summer Jazz Improvisation Camp is f...
02/01/2026

University of Oregon Summer Jazz Camp Registration is LIVE!

The University of Oregon Summer Jazz Improvisation Camp is for junior-high through high-school aged instrumentalists wanting to develop skills in the art of improvisation. The camp is designed for musicians with advanced improvisation experience as well as for performers wanting to learn how to improvise for the first time. The University of Oregon Jazz Studies faculty and a team of outstanding jazz artists/educators work with students at this week-long, work-intensive camp.

https://musiccamps.uoregon.edu/jazz/



Congratulations to Jackson Stiehl ! Jackson is a double major in music technology and jazz studies. Keep an eye out for...
01/31/2026

Congratulations to Jackson Stiehl ! Jackson is a double major in music technology and jazz studies. Keep an eye out for more great work coming down the road!


・・・
Congrats, Jackson! 🎶🎺🎸🎹🎤

undergrad music major, Jackson Stiehl, won the Sonic Boost Scholarship from the — an Oregon nonprofit that sparks young creatives through immersive programs and scholarships for those pursuing degrees in music and other arts. Jackson submitted three fully self-produced works— ‘Withdrawals,’ ‘Play The Game,’ and ‘Opus Of An Aspiring Yet Uninspired Artist’ — along with an essay.

“Opus Of An Aspiring Yet Uninspired Artist” is available on all streaming platforms 🔗: https://linktr.ee/JacksonStiehl

UO Jazz Lab Bands at The Jazz Station! February 1 | 7:00 pmJoin us for an evening of music featuring the University of O...
01/31/2026

UO Jazz Lab Bands at The Jazz Station!

February 1 | 7:00 pm

Join us for an evening of music featuring the University of Oregon Jazz Lab Bands, fresh off their performances at the Oregon Jazz Festival, performing classic and contemporary jazz repertoire.

Open to the public — tickets may be purchased at thejazzstation.org



Come down to the at 8 pm Saturday evening for the Oregon Jazz Festival’s after-hours jam session. It will feature a gre...
01/23/2026

Come down to the at 8 pm Saturday evening for the Oregon Jazz Festival’s after-hours jam session. It will feature a great house band including UO faculty and it’s open to students and professionals alike.

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