Symphonic Jazz Orchestra Celebrates 'Rhapsody In Blue's' 100th Anniversary

Southern California’s Own SYMPHONIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF GEORGE GERSHWIN’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE WITH TWO MAJOR EVENTS APRIL 5 – 26, 2024 4-Week UCLA Extension Course (online) SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024 Rhapsody in Blue Centennial Concert with piano soloist Marcus Roberts www.sjomusic.org Carpenter Center For The Performing Arts, Long Beach, CA

A little “Rhapsody in Blue” history and the birth of Symphonic Jazz.....Symphonic Jazz was coined by band leader Paul Whiteman and is an innovative hybrid form of music blending the worlds of jazz and classical music. “Rhapsody in Blue” was first presented by Whiteman in his 1924 “Experiments in Modern Music” concert.

Since 2002 the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, based in Los Angeles, has carried the baton in continuing symphonic jazz history. In joining the year-long centennial celebration of the famed work by George Gershwin, the Symphonic jazz Orchestra has announced two major events.

RHAPSODY IN BLUE ONLINE COURSE – UCLA EXTENSION APRIL 5 - 26
Virtual Course / Osher (50 )
Fridays 10AM - 12PM PST
Enroll by April 5
Instructor: Mitch Glickman - Music Director of the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra
Fee: $100

On February 12, 1924, an audience heard "Rhapsody in Blue" for the first time. It had taken George Gershwin just three weeks to write this landmark American work that bridged the worlds of jazz and classical music. In this course, we explore the key figures involved—George Gershwin, Paul Whiteman, Ferde Grofé and some of the great interpreters of this piece including Leonard Bernstein, Marcus Roberts and Bill Cunliffe—to understand the rich and interesting history of this treasured composition.

RHAPSODY IN BLUE CENTENNIAL CONCERT – SATURDAY, MAY 11
with piano soloist MARCUS ROBERTS
Carpenter Center for The Performing Arts Long Beach, CA
6200 E Atherton St, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA

Celebrate the “Rhapsody in Blue” Centennial with the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra and very special guest, piano soloist Marcus Roberts. Recording with symphony orchestras, two eminent pianists have made it their own. Marcus Roberts wanted his version “to reflect a jazz sensibility within a classical environment,” so he injected a groove rhythm and individual and collective improvisation to make the piece new and, at 28 minutes, longer than usual.

The evening will feature a pre-concert lecture with SJO Music Director Mitch Glickman and Marcus Roberts followed by a performance of Roberts’ extended version of “Rhapsody.” The concert opens with Darius Milhaud’s 1923 “La Creátion du Monde.

• Pre-Concert Talk with Mitch Glickman & Marcus Roberts at 7 PM
• Concert at 8 PM
• VIP Reception at 9 PM

$15 General Admission for purchase via CarpenterArts.org 
$100 VIP Tickets for purchase via SJOmusic.org 

Quantities are limited. All programs, performers, prices, dates, and times are subject to change. Campus parking $10 after 5:30 p.m. on M–F and all day on weekends. The Carpenter Center does not receive any portion of the collected parking fees.
This Arts For Life concert supports Symphonic Jazz Orchestra's educational programming.

About the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra
Debuting in 2002, the 68-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (SJO) is a unique hybrid ensemble dedicated to blending the worlds of jazz and classical music. The ensemble has performed throughout Southern California at such venues as the Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Royce Hall (UCLA), Walt Disney Theater (CalArts) and Marsee Auditorium. Soloists joining the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra have included Grammy Award winning performers including George Duke, Dave Grusin, Christian McBride, Raul Midon, Jane Monheit, Lee Ritenour, Chris Brubeck, Luciana Souza, Ernie Watts, The Yellowjackets, Keyon Harrold and Miguel Zenon. The SJO’s acclaimed recording “Looking Forward, Looking Back” includes two commissioned works by George Duke and Lee Ritenour, along with George Gershwin’s classic “Rhapsody in Blue.” Hosted by SJO music director Mitch Glickman, the SJO’s radio series “Beyond Symphonic Jazz” on America’s #1 jazz station KJAZZ 88.1 FM, reaches an international audience each week. The orchestra’s commissioning program has resulted in eighteen newly commissioned works from both established and emerging composers from across the country.

About Marcus Roberts
Marcus Roberts is widely known as one of the preeminent American jazz pianists of his generation. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards and competitions, including the 1982 Young Artist’s Award at the National Association of Jazz Educators’ conference and the Helen Keller Award for Personal Achievement in 1998. During the first fifteen years of his career, he completed over thirty recordings; and all, whether solo piano, with trio, big band, or symphony orchestra, have been critically acclaimed. His 1996 recording, Portraits in Blue, was the first to showcase the art of jazz improvisation within a traditional classical setting, and he continues to pursue new ways to bring the sounds of jazz and classical music together.